Miss Independent
by kimpfn
Summary: Bronwyn is sent to kill a certain fire demon, but what happens when she starts to develop feelings that she shouldn't...Chapter Fifteen: A Night They Will Never Forget...IT'S DONE!!!!!!! FINISHED!!!R&R!!
1. Default Chapter

Hello!! New story!! So far, all my romance stories have been Kurama/OC. So now I'm heading off in a different direction. This time, it's Hiei/OC!! Yeah for me!! 

  


On Tuesday, I heard "Miss Independent" on the radio and I couldn't get it out of my head. Then, today in English class (snore), I had an idea for a story that is kind of like the song. I hope you like it. 

  


Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Yu Hakusho or any of the characters in it. I do own Bronwyn. I also do not own the song "Miss Independent" by Kelly Clarkson. 

  


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*Miss Independent* 

  


Prologue

  


The girl just seemed to fall out of thin air, hitting the ground with a loud thud, a cloud of dust floating up around her. As she lifted her head slowly, she could see the metal glint of the communicator laying in the grass in front of her. She quickly pulled out her arm from under her and scrounged it up. She pushed the red button on its side. 

  


"What happened?" She growled, wincing as she ran her free hand over her leg, which was swelling. 

  


"Simple." A deep voice answered, "I had to send you there by force." 

  


"Okay buddy, get it through your thick skull," she angrily screamed into the metal box, "I do not want to kill anybody. I do not even want to come in contact with these humans. I...am...a...loner!!!" 

  


"C'mon Bronwyn, if you just do what I ask, you may return." The voice pleaded. 

  


She sighed heavily. "What do you want me to do?" 

  


"I just need you to kill the fire demon." It said. 

  


"Well, where is he?" I asked.

  


"Probably with the humans." He said calmly, relieved that Bronwyn was cooperating. 

  


"Great." She snorted, and clicked the communicator off. As she tried to stand up, she screamed in pain. Her leg was broken, she could tell. As she fell back to the ground, she leaned her head back on the ground and closed her eyes. But just as she was about to drift off into sleep, a voice was heard not far away...

  


"Hello? Is anybody there?" A kind male voice called. 

  


But Bronwyn did not want to meet anymore. Ignoring the voice best she could, she fell asleep. 

  


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Short, but that was just the prologue. REVIEWS!!! 


	2. Chapter One: Why Do You Hate Humans?

Time for the next chapter!! 

  


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*Miss Independent* 

  


Chapter One

  


As Kurama sat patiently in the small wicker chair, reading a book, he heard a small creak at the window. 

  


"Hello Hiei." He said, not looking up. 

  


"Who's the girl?" Hiei asked, looking at the stranger in Kurama's bed. 

  


"I found her in that clearing by the forest. Her leg is broken." Kurama calmly replied. 

  


Hiei stared at the girl. She had very pale skin, and long red hair which flowed over the pillow. 

  


He snorted and looked back at Kurama. "Why waste your time?" 

  


Kurama didn't answer, but just smiled knowingly, and stood up, moving toward the door. He motioned for Hiei to follow him. 

  


It was at this moment that Bronwyn opened her eyes. 

  


As she her eyes wandered around her surroundings, she could see two figures standing in front of her. 

  


"Where am I?" She said, shooting straight up in the bed. Kurama and Hiei both turned toward her. 

  


"It's okay." Kurama said cautiously, moving slowly towards her. 

  


"No, stay away!" Bronwyn screamed, struggling to get out of the bed. Her leg was keeping her confined. She hadn't seen another human being in a long time, and she was very shaken by the sight. 

  


"I want to help you." Kurama said, keeping his distance. 

  


"There's nothing you can help me with." she sneered. 

  


"I'm Kurama, and this is Hiei." Kurama said, pointing to Hiei. 

  


Bronwyn's eyes immediately perked up. _Did he say Hiei? _Bronwyn's eyes moved to the short black-haired person in front of her. _Wow, talk about dumb luck! I can get this over with now!_ She quickly started to move her hand toward her knife in the slot on her jeans. 

  


_Wait..._Her eyes moved over to the red-haired boy beside him. _I don't want to kill two people, but I don't want to get in trouble with the human police either. I should wait. _She regretfully took her hand away. 

  


"What is your name?" Kurama asked. 

  


"Bronwyn." She answered quietly, trying not to make eye contact. "Now will you leave me alone?" 

  


"Glad to." Hiei sneered, and quickly left out the window. Kurama smiled warily and then left the room also. 

  


Bronwyn pulled her leg over to the side of the bed and let it dangle there. _I need to kill him when there is no one else around. I don't like being around people, so I better do it quick. Return to my old life. _

  


She still felt exhausted, though. She leaned her head back over the pillow and drifted back to sleep. 

  


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"Here, I made you some soup." Kurama said, putting it down in front of her. He had helped her down the stairs to the kitchen and she was now seated at the table with her arms folded in front of her, casting evil glances at Kurama every now and then. 

  


"I don't eat human food." She snapped, pushing it away. 

  


"But, if I'm not mistaken, you are a human." Kurama said, smiling. He was going to break her shell, no matter what. 

  


"Hn." She replied. 

  


Kurama chuckled silently. _Just like Hiei. _

  


"So, where did you come from?" Kurama asked her, sitting down also. 

  


Bronwyn was surprised by the question. _No one's every cared enough to ask me that question before... _"It's really not your business." She said, though flustered greatly. 

  


"Sorry for intruding. So are you willing to tell me anything about yourself?" Kurama said. 

  


_Who does he think he is? _"No I'm not." She said, "and I would really like to go, now though." 

  


"I think you've forgotten something." Kurama said, pointing to her bandaged leg. 

  


"A minor technicality." She said, struggling to stand up, but she slipped, sprawling out over the floor. 

  


"Here, let me help you." He said, holding out his hand. Bronwyn cautiously took his hand, confused. _Why is he wanting to help me? It's not like I've ever done anything for him. _

  


"Why don't you go rest?" Kurama suggested. 

  


"Yes, I think I will." she said, "But I don't need help." she then proceeded to pull herself up the stairs. 

  


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As Bronwyn lay on the bed, looking up at the ceiling, she was thinking about how to kill Hiei. 

  


_I need to lure him someplace...the forest perhaps...maybe...I don't know yet..._

  


Her thoughts were shattered as she heard a tap on the window. Quickly pulling herself onto the ground, she limped over to the window and pulled it open. Hiei was crouching there.

  


"Oh, I thought Kurama was in here." He turned to leave, but then turned back to Bronwyn. "Why are you taking charity from Kurama?" 

  


She snorted. "I'm not. He won't let me leave. I hate humans. They're so ignorant." 

  


Hiei was taken aback by this statement. "But you are a human."

  


"What's it to you? I don't want to be a human." She moved away from the window and collapsed onto the bed. After several seconds, she looked back to Hiei, still sitting in the window. "Why aren't you leaving?" She snapped. 

  


As Hiei jumped back down to the ground and started toward the other window. _I guess I had her all wrong..._

  


_Why didn't I kill him then? It was a perfect opportunity. _Bronwyn wondered_, Maybe I just wanted to let him enjoy his life a bit longer..._

  


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"She told me that humans are stupid." Hiei told Kurama as he bustled around the kitchen. 

  


"I don't know why she has such a hostile attitude toward me. I've only been trying to help." Kurama said, sitting down on the couch, taking a rest. 

  


"She reminds me of you." 

  


"What?" Hiei said in surprise. 

  


"I mean, she acts just like you would in this situation." Kurama said, smiling slightly. 

  


"Hn." Hiei said. 

  


He wasn't really sure who this girl was, but he had made some wrong judgements about her. She _did _seem a lot like him...

  


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I'm trying to not make it move along too fast, but it's hard!! 

  


PLEASE SEND REVIEWS!!!! 


	3. Chapter Two: A Strange Remembrance

Sorry about the mistake!! I actually meant to put chapter two, but I goofed. This is actually chapter two!! 

  


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"Why do you want us to talk to the girl?" Yusuke asked as he and Kuwabara followed Kurama up the stairs. 

  


"Maybe she will speak with you. She wouldn't speak to me." Kurama said, pulling open the bedroom door. 

  


Bronwyn was sitting on the windowsill, gazing out the window, her broken leg dangling aimlessly over the side. 

  


She briefly glanced toward the door as she heard it open. "More humans." she muttered, turning her gaze back to the window. She watched a boy and a girl walk down the sidewalk, holding hands. 

  


_Human feelings are so naive, _she thought bitterly. But still, she felt a pang of sadness wash over her body. _NO. I tried love once...Aiku...but he...no, I do not want to relive it. _

  


"What do you want?" she said, not moving her gaze away. 

  


"Bronwyn, Yusuke and Kuwabara would like to talk to you." Kurama said cautiously. 

  


"Why would I waste my time talking to two idiots?" Bronwyn smirked. 

  


"Hey!" Kuwabara screamed, "I'm not an idiot!" 

  


Bronwyn smiled slightly. "Of course you're not. You're an idiot and an imbecile." 

  


"Why you..." Kuwabara said, launching his fist towards her face. *I know that Kuwabara never hits girls, but he just can't help it this time* 

  


Bronwyn closed her eyes and in a flash, was grasping Kuwabara's arm. 

  


Kuwabara, Yusuke, and Kurama's eyes bugged out. _She's fast, _they all thought. 

  


Bronwyn started to twist Kuwabara's arm around and shoved him with such force into the wall it left an imprint. 

  


"Since you have such a feeble mind, I will let you off the hook this time. But if you ever try that again, be ready to die a painful death." Bronwyn growled. 

  


Kuwabara pulled himself out of the wall and stared crazily at Kurama. "I thought you said she was human!" He screamed. 

  


"Yes, that is what I thought." Kurama said, confused by her power. 

  


"WILL YOU STOP IT?!?!" Bronwyn screamed, causing all three of them to jump. 

  


"What are they doing?" Yusuke asked. 

  


"STOP TALKING LIKE I CAN'T HEAR YOU!! I am human, but a few years ago, I ran off to the demon world and got my j..." she stopped abruptly and looked back out the window. "Just go away." She whispered. 

  


Kurama could sense the sadness in her voice, and motioned for the others to follow him out the door. He shut the door slowly. 

  


"Why did you make us leave? She was about to say what she got!" Yusuke screamed. 

  


Kurama stared sternly at Yusuke. "Couldn't you tell that she didn't want to talk about it?" He said. 

  


"But I want to know!" Kuwabara whined. 

  


"I think it's wise to leave her alone for the time being." Kurama said calmly, and started down the stairs. 

  


Kuwabara and Yusuke exchanged confused glances and followed him. 

  


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As Bronwyn sat beside the window, staring at the full moon, she felt her eyes glistening with tears. 

  


_I want to go home. These humans have dragged too much out of me already. I've never told anyone that much before. I was even about to tell them about my...my..._ she couldn't bring herself to think about it. She had gotten it to prove that she was a demon, even though she truly still was human. 

  


As she felt the area beneath her long red bangs, she sighed heavily. _I don't care if my leg is broken, tomorrow I will set out to find Hiei and end this. _

  


Turning her gaze away from the window, she began to think more about Aiku. _That bastard...I was so naive, so innocent...why did I trust him? I know why. Because I was so desperate to feel love that I took the first guy that came along. But no more. I swear off love now and forever. _

  


She leaned back on the bed and closed her eyes. She knew that her night would be filled with bad dreams of that horrible day. __

  


_******************************************************************************_

  


Bronwyn has something that she wants no one else to ever find out about. What is it? 

  


What happened that day with someone named Aiku?

  


You will find out soon enough!! 


	4. Chapter Three: Training

This story is my fave right now!!

  


Time for next chapter!!

  


Disclaimer: I blah do blah not blah own blah Yu Yu Hakusho blah but blah I do blah own blah Bronwyn blah and blah Aiku.

  


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*Chapter Three*

  


_"I can't handle this anymore. You have to die." Aiku said coldly, a sharp cruel glint in his eyes._

  


_ "No!" Bronwyn screamed, backing up as far as she could, "Stay away!" _

  


_Aiku did not say anything, but instead pulled out a small dagger. He pinned Bronwyn to the wall and raised it high above his head. _

  


_"I thought you loved me." Bronwyn whispered, a solitary tear running down her cheek. _

  


_Aiku just smirked. "Love is for idiots." _

  


_He then plunged the dagger deep into Bronwyn's chest..._

  


_******************************************************************************_

  


Bronwyn sat up straight in bed, drenched in cold sweat.

  


She immediately lifted up her shirt and ran her fingers softly over the thick scar. It still hurt, in more ways than one. 

  


She hopped out of the bed, too blinded to feel the pain of her broken leg. 

  


_I need to prepare. I haven't done this in a long time. _

  


She yanked open the window and lowered herself down the wall, landing in a flower bush. She started sprinting towards the forest...

  


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As Hiei rested peacefully in a tree, he was wondering why everyone spent so much time with that Bronwyn girl. 

  


_It's not like she's anything special. She's probably a weakling. _

  


His thoughts were interrupted as soft footsteps were heard coming closer and closer. 

  


Opening one eye, he could see someone approaching. _Oh, it's just her...wait...doesn't she have a broken leg?_

  


As he looked closer, he could see that her leg was still bandaged, but that she was walking perfectly, expect for a slight wince every now and then. 

  


_Why is she here? _He thought, and overcome with curiosity, started to follow her through the trees. 

  


Bronwyn walked into a clearing, pulling a small knife out of her pocket. She gripped it hard and it immediately took the shape of a sword. 

  


_Time to see if I've still got it..._

  


She flew at the nearest tree (Which just happened to be the tree Hiei was on), and began to lash at it violently, each blow harder than the last. After a good thirty minutes, she finally caused the tree to fall, carrying Hiei with it, since he hadn't believed that she could actually bring the tree down.  
  
Bronwyn smiled, and the sword returned to its original form. "I'm still the best." She smirked and slid the knife back into her pocket.

  


The night was becoming cold and the sun was going down. _That human boy will notice I'm gone if I don't get back. Probably have everyone looking for me..._

  


Bronwyn stumbled back, confused by what she had just thought. _Wait a minute, why do I care what he thinks or if he's worried? That's not me!! _

  


Grasping her head, she started to run in a different direction, wanting to escape everything, but she tripped over something. Sprawling onto the dirt, she spun around angrily to destroy the tree or branch, but was in shock when she saw what it really was...

  


_Hiei, _She thought as he stood up, wiping off his cloak. 

  


"Watch where you're going." He growled. 

  


_Luck is really with me today. Time to do this. _She pulled out her knife quickly. 

  


"What do you think you're doing?" Hiei calmly said, oblivious to her intentions. 

  


That was when he pulled off the white piece of cloth around his forehead. It had gotten splattered with dirt during his fall and he began to wipe it off on his cloak. He didn't even notice that Bronwyn had dropped her knife in shock. 

  


_This can't be....he has...._

  


Browyn couldn't take the things running through her mind. She collapsed onto the ground and blacked out. 

  


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The ending of this chapter wasn't going to be like this at first, I just had the idea, like, 5 minutes ago? 

  


I have no idea where this story will go. 

  


Next Chapter: Bronwyn struggles to overcome her thoughts in a series of flashbacks we see. She also begins to warm up to Kurama, confiding in him. 

  


REVIEWS!!! MUST...HAVE...REVIEWS!!!! 

  
  



	5. Chapter Four: The Jagan Eye

I'm starting to regret the direction this is going but a good writer has to try to make it work, so I'm trying!

  


Disclaimer: WHAT DO YOU THINK?!?!??! I don't own you know what show or you know who characters. I do own Bronwyn and Nadine. 

  


WARNING: REALLY LONG CHAPTER

  


_******************************************************************************_

  


_"Grammy, what is this?" the seven year old Bronwyn asked curiously, holding up a strange silver-plated book. _

  


_The grandmother looked up from her knitting and smiled. "That, my dear, is a book about demons. Your grandfather had many close friends who were demons. It was a gift." _

  


_"Ooh, neat! Can I look at it?" Bronwyn squealed, already starting to pull the cover open. _

  


_"Go right ahead." _

  


_Bronwyn sifted through the pages eagerly, taking in everything with happiness. That was, until, she reached a page that confused her. _

  


_"Grammy, what is a jagan eye?" Bronwyn asked curiously._

  


_The grandmother sat her knitting aside and stretched out on the floor beside Bronwyn. "A jagan eye is something that is hard to explain. It is very powerful, I'm pretty sure. It can help you do many important tasks that you wouldn't be able to do without it." She paused, and started to laugh. "A good friend of mine once told me that if you had a jagan eye and met someone of the opposite sex that had a jagan eye, you were meant to be together. That it was destiny." _

  


_"But how can that be? Just because you have something like that doesn't mean you're supposed to be together." Bronwyn said, confused. _

  


_The grandmother sighed and patted Bronwyn's head. "You're too young to understand. Let me just tell you that two people that have it can really relate to each other. They can share feelings that no one else in the universe can understand. It's very painful to have a jagan eye." _

  


_"Okay Grammy, whatever you say." Bronwyn happily said. She always trusted everything her Grammy said without doubt. _

  


_"Put the book up now, dear." The grandmother said, yawning heavily, "It's time for bed." _

  


_Bronwyn closed the book slowly and carried it to the shelf . But right before she put it up, she opened to the same page again. _

  


_" A jagan eye." She whispered, "Glad I don't have one." _

_******************************************************************************_

  


It was pitch-black in the small bedroom. Bronwyn sat in the corner, crunched up in a ball, rocking back and forth. 

  


_Well, what did my grandmother know? She was an old hag and stupid. That's why she died. _

  


_This shouldn't change anything....then why is it?_

  


A sharp knock at the door caused Bronwyn to jump. "GO AWAY!!" She screamed. 

  


The door opened anyway. "Bronwyn, are you okay?" Kurama asked, spying her in the corner. 

  


"Never been better." She lied, struggling to wipe tears away. 

  


"You don't sound that way." He said, sitting down on the bed, a caring expression on his face. 

  


"Listen, you sound like you're going through a rough time. I want to help you." He said. 

  


Bronwyn looked up at him. "You wouldn't understand." She snarled. 

  


"Why don't you try me?" He said, smiling. 

  


_How can I trust him? Should I lie? No, that wouldn't solve anything. Maybe I could tell him some, but no names..._

  


"You promise that you will not tell anybody else?" She whispered, standing up and taking a seat beside him. 

  


"I promise." He said. 

  


"Okay." She said, taking a deep breath. "I was actually sent here to kill someone." 

  


"Oh." Kurama said, sounding nervous. 

  


" I swear that it's not you." She said, starting to laugh. 

  


"But now, I've found out something that turns my whole world upside down, and I just don't know what I should do." She said. 

  


"Well, what have you found out?" Kurama asked.

  


_No names, no names, no names..._

  


"I can't tell you exactly, but this has something to do with it." She said, her hand starting to move toward her bangs. 

  


Just before, Bronwyn started to hesitate. _I never shown this to anyone besides my sister, and she's dead..._

  


_But, this just feels like the right thing to do. _

  


She lifted up her bangs to reveal (drumroll, please) her own jagan eye.

  


Kurama's eyes widened in surprise, and something seemed to register in his brain. 

  


"I think I understand." He whispered. "Goodnight." He left the room quickly.

  


Bronwyn was surprised by his abrupt leave, but blew it off and went back to thinking...

  


_I will forget all about this...that I even know it....since my family died....and Aiku came along...I gave up on that part of my life....I'm independent....I'm a loner._

  


She went to the window and gazed into the moon. _I am going to kill him tomorrow, no matter what happens. _

  


But she still couldn't stop thinking about it...

  


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_"Oh Nadine...It...it hurts so bad." Bronwyn cried, grasping her forehead in pain. _

  


_"Why did you even do this? Why do you want to be known as a demon?" Nadine asked desperately, helping Bronwyn to walk. _

  


_"Because I hate humans." Bronwyn growled. _

  


_" But your family is human! How can you say that?" Nadine angrily screamed. _

  


_"Sorry sis, but I do." Bronwyn said apologetically. _

  


_"I don't believe you. Is this all because of Grammy's little story about the jagan eye when you were seven?" Nadine asked. _

  


_Bronwyn's eyes perked up. She had forgotten all about that. "Well, no." Bronwyn stuttered. _

  


_Nadine eyed Bronwyn suspiciously. "Okay." She whispered. "I've gotta go. Don't expect a warm welcome when you come back to the house." she waved goodbye and ran off. _

  


_Bronwyn settled down onto the ground and began to think about the story..._

  


_" It makes sense." She said outloud. "I haven't had luck with regular boys, and I've been through painful times. It's a good arrangement." _

  


_She stood up. "I will find my mate this way." She said happily, smiling. _

  


_******************************************************************************_

  


Kurama sat on the couch in the living room, wondering about whether he should tell someone or not about what Bronwyn had showed him. 

  


_I promised not to, but this might be too extreme to keep under wraps. _

  


A knock on the window caused Kurama to lose his train of thought. He jumped up and opened it, allowing Hiei to come in. 

  


"Why did that stupid girl faint?" Hiei said, taking a seat on a chair. 

  


"What are you talking about?" Kurama asked curiously. 

  


"Bronwyn was in the forest and when I took off my white cloth, she fainted." 

  


A thought hit Kurama like a freight train. 

  


"Hiei, what are your feelings toward Bronwyn?" He asked, wondering if Hiei had anything to do with Bronwyn's problem. 

  


"What?" Hiei screamed, "Well, um..erm.." 

  


To tell the truth, Hiei didn't exactly know. Kurama had told him about the Kuwabara incident, and she sounded like someone who had his personality. Someone who felt the way that he did about things...

  


"That's a stupid question." He smirked.

  


_I need to think about this more..._"I have to go Kurama." He said, and before Kurama could say anything else, he was out the window. 

  


Kurama was confused about Hiei's abrupt leave, but strange thoughts were swirling around his head..._Could it be that..._He shook his head violently..._I need to stop letting my mind wander so much..._

  


_******************************************************************************_

  


Bronwyn had been laying in bed for almost an hour now, but she just couldn't fall asleep. Too many things to wonder about. 

As she closed her eyes, trying to forget about everything, she heard footsteps walking around the room.

  


_I didn't even hear anyone come in! _She thought, starting to get very nervous. 

  


The footsteps suddenly stopped, and Bronwyn opened one eye warily. _Maybe they left..._

  


But her heart skipped a beat when she saw a shadowy figure in the corner. 

  


"AAH!" She screamed, starting to back up. But she accidentally backed up so far that she fell off the bed. 

  


"For someone who calls herself "the best", You aren't very coordinated." Hiei smirked, emerging into the light of the moon. 

  


"What are you doing here?" Bronwyn snarled, struggling to get up. 

  


"I do what I want. I can be here if I please." He said, though not really sure _what _he was doing there. 

  


"Anything in particular that you want from me?" Bronwyn asked, sitting back down on the bed. 

  


"No. I...I...was just getting something that Kurama needed." Hiei lied. He started to move toward the drawer, wondering what he would get. 

  


A smile crept up on Bronwyn. _He's so flustered...He looks cute when he's flustered..._

  


_DID I JUST THINK THAT?!?!?!_

  


"Find what you need?" She asked, though also becoming flustered herself. 

  


"Uh, no. I guess it's not here." Hiei whispered, moving quickly towards the window. 

  


_Wait a minute, This is a good opportunity. _She thought, pulling her knife out of her pocket. 

  


But as he started to climb out the window, and she lifted the knife up, a small voice said..._Don't...you know you don't want to...._

  


_BUT SHE MUST!!! _Another louder voice screamed. 

  


_C'mon Bronwyn, you know that this isn't you...don't..._

  


_YES!! DO IT!!! DO IT NOW!! YOU CAN RETURN HOME!!! _

  


_But what if she doesn't want to return home? Maybe this can be your new life, with friends. _

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!" Bronwyn screamed, clutching her head. She looked up, and noticed that Hiei had already left. 

  


_YOU MISSED YOUR CHANCE!! _

  


_Good. You know that this isn't what you want...to kill him..._

  


_YES IT IS!!! _

  


"I can't take this much longer." Bronwyn moaned, laying her head down on the pillow. 

  


She had no idea what she was going to do. 

  


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This was a pretty long chapter, but it's really getting interesting!! Now, I'm happy with the direction it's going again. 

  


I WANT REVIEWS!!! I LOVE REVIEWS!!! __


	6. Chapter Five: Two Dreams and The Past

I'M SO HAPPY!!! BECAUSE I'm getting my braces off in a week!!! Weee!!! Time to party!!!

  


Okay, now that's out of my system, It's time for the next chapter!!!

  


Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I do own Bronwyn. That was simple...

  


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_"It's...so...cold." Bronwyn shivered, rubbing her hands together in an attempt to keep warm. _

  


_As she looked around at her surroundings, she could see nothing but a strange heavy black fog all around her. _

  


_A smirk spread across Bronwyn's face. "Zink." She whispered. _

  


_The fog suddenly seemed to evaporate, unveiling a huge dark tunnel in front of her. _

  


_She strode into the mouth without hesitation. _

  


_As her high-heeled boots clattered against the cobblestone floor, she kept whispering over and over again, "That wimp, that big wimp..." _

  


_The tunnel suddenly opened into a huge room, lit by the glow of many candles surrounding the room. In the center sat a large gold-plated chair adorned with jewels. _

  


_"So, you're too chicken to come out into the human world? You had to come to me in my dreams, huh?" Bronwyn playfully said. _

  


_"Did you do it?" Zink asked coldly, oblivious to Bronwyn's light mood. _

  


_Bronwyn stared blankly at him for a moment, and then began to laugh nervously. "Now there's something funny to talk about..."_

  


_"Save it." He sneered. "Why haven't you?" _

  


_Bronwyn's expression turned serious. "You don't know what I've been going through. I just discovered that he has a jagan eye, and you know the legend..."_

  


_"Oh, save me the pity story." Zink snapped. "I will not give you much longer. Do you want to return home or not?" _

  


_"Yes, I do." She muttered. _

  


_"Then you have two weeks." _

  


_Bronwyn stared at the floor, unsure if she was making the right choice. "It will be done by then." _

  


_"Good." _

  


_******************************************************************************_

  


Bronwyn opened her eyes slowly and found herself back in the small room. She sighed heavily. 

  


_Two weeks..._

  


She quickly pulled herself out of the bed and ran downstairs, practically knocking down Kurama. 

  


"Where are you off to?" He asked curiously. 

  


".....things." Bronwyn whispered, and was out the door in a flash. 

  


She hopped down the stairs leading to the sidewalk and began to walk towards the forest, hoping to clear her mind. __

  


_Why is everything so complicated? _

  


As she strolled down the path into the depths of the forest, a strange noise caused her to spin around nervously. 

  


_What was that? It sounded like a...a...snore?_

  


But nothing was in view that could make such a noise. She turned back around warily, but heard it again, louder, and a leaf floated down, swooping in an eloquent pattern, right in front of her face and onto the ground. 

  


She looked up nervously, and was surprised to see Hiei, asleep in the large oak tree that was descending above her head. 

  


_Hmmm...I could do it now...._

  


She climbed the tree with ease and crawled over to the branch he was fast asleep on and pulled her knife out, aiming it at his heart. 

  


But as she tried to make her arm move forward, it seemed like some invisible force was holding it back, keeping her from what she needed to do. 

  


_I've still got two weeks...why do it now? _

  


She slid the knife back deep into her pocket, and glanced at Hiei. 

  


_He looks...very peaceful..._

  


_Hmm....maybe I could just...take a peek at his mind..._

  


She began to move her hand forward, very curious about what he thought about, when he suddenly twitched, causing her to pull her hand back in alarm. 

  


_Maybe I shouldn't..._

  


She pondered his thoughts for a moment, and then decided to try again 

  


_Just a small look would fulfill my curiousity..._

  


But just as she was about to touch his forehead, he suddenly rolled over, causing Bronwyn to lose her balance. 

  


"Whoa...whoa!!" She screamed, waving her arms wildly, trying to stay on the branch. 

  


But it wasn't enough. She fell off the tree and hit the ground hard. 

  


"OW..." She moaned, rubbing her head. 

  


"What are you doing?" Hiei asked, having awoken by her fall. 

  


"Uh...uh...nothing." She said nervously, wondering if he had been aware of what was happening the entire time. 

  


He jumped down from the tree and stared at her strangely. "Why are you out here?" 

  


"I do what I want." She said, folding her arms angrily. 

  


He smirked at her. "Why don't you go back to your hospitality?"

  


"What?" 

  


"There's no reason for a human to wonder around. They get pampered and cared for endlessly. You probably aren't used to being on your own." 

  


"How do you know?" She said angrily. He had no idea of her past. 

  


"Because that's how every human is. You shouldn't feel threatened by that." 

  


She had his collar in a flash.

  


"DON'T TELL ME HOW I SHOULD FEEL! YOU HAVE NO IDEA OF WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH!" She screamed, trying not to cry. 

  


She backed away and buried her face in her hands. "Listen, I've had a really tough life, okay? I have not been cared for or pampered for most of the time I've been alive. So don't say that." __

  


"I bet that you haven't been through what I have." Hiei boldly challenged, wandering what happened during this so-called "tough life".

  


She looked up at him with a menacing look on her face. "You wanna bet?" She said. "Fine. Why don't we see?" 

******************************************************************************

  


"The family I was born into was very strange. Every child ever born had blond hair and blue eyes. You could only marry other people with blond hair and blue eyes. My parents thought that anyone else was inferior to the human race. Well, my mother wasn't happy with her marriage and ended up having an affair with an "inferior" man. She became pregnant as a result of this. When the time came to have birth, she ended up having twins. My fraternal twin sister, Nadine, who was the perfect example of our type, and me, who had red hair and brown eyes. Since I was different, my whole family hated me and wanted me dead. Can you imagine that? Just because I was different." 

  


Bronwyn and Hiei were both spread out on the forest floor, looking up at the sky blankly. 

  


"Yes, I can imagine it." Hiei muttered, remembering his past as well. 

  


"Well, anyway, my father wanted to kill me himself, but my mother was against it and wanted to raise me no matter what I looked like. He tolerated me for, oh, about a day and then threw me out the window of our three story home."

  


"He threw you out the window?" 

  


"Yes, he did. I was supposed to die, I mean, the laws of the world say that a fall from that height would kill just about anyone, especially a baby. But I lived. An owner of the orphanage came by a few hours later and took me to live with the other children." She paused and began to laugh for a moment. "Everyone was afraid of me since I liked to pick fights." 

  


"How long did you stay at the orphanage?" 

  


"Six years. The people there were very cruel and beat me naturally if I did not do what they ordered." She paused a moment, remembering those horrible experiences. "I just couldn't take it anymore. I ran away one night and have never gone anywhere close to that orphanage since. I wondered around the city for a few weeks, and ended up meeting an older woman who was very kind. She took me in and I started calling her "Grammy". But, a few years later, when I was ten, she died unexpectedly. I was alone again." 

  


"What did you do?" 

  


"I wanted to find my actual family. So I started to ask around the town for someone who might of abandoned or gave up a baby girl a while ago. I finally found someone who did, and I met my actual mother. I could just tell it was her, by the way she acted and moved. It just seemed familiar. I don't think she even knew who I was, though. She answered all my questions and I found out about my twin sister, who had left the house to live with another family when my mother went bankrupt. Her family welcomed me in warmly, but by then, my vision of humans had been warped. I only thought of them as cruel wicked animals. I still do. The only person I talked to was my sister. She was the one who came with me when I got...." 

  


_There's really no reason to tell him about my jagan eye..._

  


"...something. The day after, I told her that I wanted to live the rest of my life in solitude and I left, preferring the Makai World to the Human World." Bronwyn paused, trying to choke back her tears, "maybe if I stayed, it wouldn't of happened..." 

  


"What?" 

  


"I came back....once....when I was fourteen....I just wanted to see her again...her family told me that she had been murdered..." 

  


"Oh." Hiei whispered, his mind reeling. _I guess she did have a rough life..._

  


She looked up at him suddenly and smiled. "You're so lucky. You've always been wanted. _Your _family must of loved you very much..."

  


He snorted. "I wish." 

  


"What?" 

  


"Nothing." He pulled himself off the ground and looked up into the sky.

  


Bronwyn also stood up. "Why don't you tell me your story?" 

  


"I don't think so. It would just be a waste of time." He smirked, and then began to walk away. 

  


"Nice talking to you." Bronwyn called after him. 

  


Hiei looked back over his shoulder at her and slightly smiled. He turned back around and strode into the forest. 

  


When he was out of sight, Bronwyn's smile suddenly turned into a flustered frown and she began to hit herself hard on the head. 

  


_Oh Bronwyn, why are you doing this to yourself? There's no point in becoming friends with him if you're going to kill him...it's just going to make it harder on you..._

  


_******************************************************************************_

  


_It was raining. _

  


_Bronwyn was standing in a clearing of the forest, hugging her shoulders tightly as water droplets slid down her hair. _

  


_"Why am I out here?" She wondered outloud. "Is this a dream?" _

  


_She began to hear light footsteps moving towards her. They seemed to be moving closer and closer and got heavier and heavier with each passing second._

  


_As she turned her head expectantly, she could see a figure shrouded in darkness moving towards her. _

  


_"Who are you?" She called, but whoever it was did not stop moving towards her until they were two feet away from her. _

  


_"I want to help you." A male voice said. Bronwyn struggled to see his face, but it seemed to be covered with some sort of veil. _

  


_"You can't be afraid of humans forever. You have to trust people, or you will never be able to have a good life." _

  


_The voice sounded....familiar.....but she just couldn't place it. _

  


_"And I want to be part of that life." He said, grabbing Bronwyn's hand. It felt so warm to her. _

  


_"But...I don't even know who you are, and even if I did, I can never be with anyone again." She choked. _

  


_"I would never hurt you. I understand everything you've been through. You might not believe it, but our pasts are alike in some ways." He let go of her hand and began to back away, back into the forest. _

  


_"Wait, don't go..." She called, but he disappeared. _

  


_******************************************************************************_

  


Bronwyn sat straight up in the bed. It seemed like everything was a dream lately and she was just going to keep waking up. 

  


_What...who...was that? I didn't even see his face. _

  


As she rubbed her hand over her face, it still felt warm from his touch. 

  


_Was it really supposed to be just a dream? _

  


The door opened suddenly, and Kurama poked his head in. "Everything all right?" He asked, like he did every morning. 

  


"I had a dream." She muttered, hugging her knees. 

  


"Oh?" Kurama asked, and made his way over to her. "What happened?" 

  


"I'm...I'm still not really sure." She said, feeling a slight blush creeping onto her face. 

  


"Do you remember any of it?" Kurama asked, confused by her reactions. 

  


"Oh, I remember it. It's just..." She stopped suddenly and stared at Kurama intently. "Stand up." She ordered. 

  


He did as she asked, though very confused. She looked him up and down and then closed her eyes. "It wasn't you. You're taller." 

  


"What are you talking about?" 

  


"There was a guy in my dream. He told me that he wanted to be a part of my life and that he would never hurt me. He also said that I can't be afraid of humans anymore." 

  


"What did he look like?" 

  


She sighed. "That's the problem. I couldn't see his face. The only thing I can tell is that he is shorter than you." 

  


Knowing that this conversation was over, Bronwyn's eyes began to wander around the room, but they stopped suddenly on the small calendar hanging on the wall. 

  


_Oh, shoot..._

  


"Kurama, I need to go." She said, and jumped off the bed. 

  


"What about your dream?" He asked. 

  


She smiled at him. "Let's forget about it. It was just a dream, right?"

  


_Maybe...._

_******************************************************************************_

  


_What just happened? _

  


Hiei opened his eyes and glanced around nervously. When he was sure that what had happened was just a dream, he closed his eyes again. 

  


_That was strange...Bronwyn was there...I said something to her....I couldn't really hear myself talk, though. _

  


Shaking his head, he decided quickly to forget about it. __

  


_It was nothing..._

  


He tried to go back to sleep, but the dream was haunting him. 

  


_Did I...grab her hand? _

  


He rubbed his hand against his face. It felt warm. 

  


_She looked....nice.....I probably just....grrr.....IT WAS JUST A DREAM!!!! _

  


_******************************************************************************_

It seems like inner spirits are the cause of this...

  


REVIEWS!!!! __

  
  
  
  
  


__


	7. Chapter Six: Two Bets and The Dance

I'm in a light mood, and this chapter is not really deep, it's more of a fun chapter! There's a little bit of humor and a LOT of awkwardness!!! 

  


She's got two weeks, so for a while, she just isn't going to think about killing, and murder, and having to assassinate Hiei...

  


So just enjoy this one. 

  


AND I KNOW THAT IT'S PREDICTABLE!!!! SO DON'T TELL ME!! 

  


Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I do own Bronwyn. 

  


******************************************************************************

  


_Ring...._

  


_Ring...._

  


"Hello?" 

  


"Hey, Kurama? It's Yusuke. They're having a big party in the center of town. You know, dancing, food, stuff like that. Do you want to come with us?" 

  


"Who's us?" 

  


"Me, Kuwabara, Keiko, and Botan." 

  


"Sure." 

  


"Hey, and why don't you bring that chick who's staying at your house?" 

  


"Uh, well, I don't think...she would want to come." 

  


"Well, ask her, and if she does, then just drop her off at Keiko's house. She and Botan are getting ready over there. Then you can come over to my apartment." 

  


"Okay." 

  


"See you then. Bye."

  


"Bye." 

  


******************************************************************************

  


_"And I want to be a part of that life..." _

  


Bronwyn opened her eyes once more. 

  


_It's so real..._

  


A knock on the door brought her back to reality. 

  


"What do you want?" she sneered.

  


Kurama walked in and took a seat on the bed. "There's a party going on downtown, and the gang wants to know if you want to come." 

  


"Why would I want to go to something as stupid and childish as that?" 

  


"Well...because you'll have fun." 

  


"Fun doesn't exist." 

  


"Bronwyn, you need to get out and do things. You don't have to dance or anything. Just come and watch." 

  


"Well..." She hesitated, but then decided it would be better than staying in the bedroom. "Okay." 

  


"Great. But you might need some different clothes..." 

  


"What's wrong with my clothes?!?!?!?" Bronwyn screamed angrily. 

  


"Nothing, nothing..." Kurama said, holding his hands up in defense, "But, I thought you might want to change out of those. You've been wearing them for almost three weeks. That's why I'm dropping you off at Keiko's house." 

  


"Hey, I never agreed to.." She stopped when she saw Kurama giving her a "please do this and don't argue" look. 

  


She sighed heavily. "Fine." 

  


******************************************************************************

  


_Ding dong..._

  


"Kurama, I really don't want to do this..." Bronwyn whined as she hugged her shoulders. Both of them stood on Keiko's doorstep. 

  


The door suddenly swung open, and Botan stood there, looking exceptionally happy. 

  


"You must be Bronwyn." She chirped, "Come in." She extended an open hand to show that the doorway was clear. 

  


"See you at the party..." Kurama whispered and began to walk away. 

  


Botan shut the door and smiled broadly. "It's time for your makeover!" She started to move towards Bronwyn. 

  


"Touch me and you die." Bronwyn growled, pulling out her knife. "I didn't even want to come here. There is no way that I'm going to let you "doll" me up." 

  


"But don't you want to have guys think you look good?" Botan gulped, her eyes locked onto Bronwyn's knife. 

  


"NO!!!" 

  


"Botan, is that girl here?" Keiko called from upstairs. 

  


"Yes, but I need some help!!" 

  


Keiko scurried down the stairs quickly and got a view of Bronwyn and her knife. 

  


"Okay, you don't need to be hostile. Put the knife away." She ordered cautiously. 

  


Bronwyn, though still very uneasy, slid the knife back into her pocket and folded her arms angrily. 

  


"I only came here for a change of clothes." 

  


Botan and Keiko shared looks and then motioned for her to follow them up the stairs. "Okay, just a change of clothes..." 

  


******************************************************************************

  


"Are you ready for the rush?" Yusuke asked Kurama as he slid on his sports jacket. 

  


"What rush?" 

  


"Kurama, all the girls in the city are going to be at that party. You're probably going to be swarmed over." 

  


Kurama sighed uneasily. Kuwabara suddenly burst through the door, decked out in bright silver threads. 

  


"WHO'S READY TO BOOGIE?" 

  


"Nobody's gonna want to "boogie" with you." Yusuke joked. 

  


"THAT'S NOT TRUE! Yukina will!" Kuwabara screamed. 

  


"Is Yukina even coming?" Kurama asked. 

  


"She said she would." 

  


Their conversation was interrupted by a harsh knock at the door. 

  


"It's open." 

  


Hiei roughly kicked the door open and walked in. 

  


"What are you doing here?" Kurama asked. 

  


Hiei shrugged. "I was bored." 

  


"Why don't you come to the party with us?" Yusuke asked. 

  


Hiei just smirked. "Why would I do that?" 

  


There was a slight lull in the conversation, and then a grin slowly started to spread across Kuwabara's face. 

  


"Hey Hiei," he said, "I'd like to make a bet with you." 

  


"What kind of bet?" 

  


"If you win, I'll be your dummy for one of your training periods. I won't even fight back." 

  


Hiei was definitely interested. "What do I have to do?" 

  


"You have to go to the dance, stay the entire time, and do the Pair-Off dance." 

  


"What's that?" 

  


Yusuke broke into the conversation. "At the very end of these yearly parties, a coordinator walks around and pairs off every boy and girl and then you slow dance through an entire song." 

  


Hiei was about to scream in protest, but he really wanted to pound Kuwabara's face into the pavement without him squirming so much. "Fine." 

  


Hiei turned and walked out of the apartment. After he was gone, Yusuke and Kurama both looked at Kuwabara like he was insane. 

  


Kuwabara just laughed and flung his arms over the back of the chair he was sitting on. "It'll be worth it just to see Hiei dance with a girl." 

  


******************************************************************************

  


"Ooh, what about this?" Botan squealed, holding up a red Mexican-looking dress with frills on the hem. 

  


Bronwyn snorted and looked away. "Too girly." 

  


"Okay then, what about this?" Keiko held up a purple skirt and a white blouse. 

  


"Too childish." 

  


Botan threw her hands up in desperation. "Then what do you want to wear? You and Keiko are exactly the same size so you can wear pretty much anything in her closet!" 

  


Bronwyn angrily walked over to the closet and began to sift through the clothes until she came across something that interested her. 

  


"How about this?" She held up a pair of beige khakis. 

  


"That's great." Keiko said, "But what do you want to wear with it?" 

  


Botan suddenly snapped her fingers. "Bingo!" She scurried over to a large shopping bag resting against the wall and pulled out a blue spaghetti strap tank-top which showed the midriff. 

  


"I was going to wear this myself, but it goes perfectly with those pants." She handed it to Bronwyn and began to shove her towards the bathroom. "Go put them on!" 

  


******************************************************************************

  


When Bronwyn stepped out of the bathroom, she felt...naked. She had never worn this little before. But Botan and Keiko said that she looked wonderful. 

  


As she stepped in front of the full-length mirror, she had to admit that she looked good. 

  


She suddenly felt a tugging on her hair. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" She screamed as she struggled to pull away. 

  


"Bronwyn, your hair is atrocious. Let me brush it." Keiko screamed, trying to move the brush through Bronwyn's hair. 

  


She tried to get away for a few more seconds, but then gave in and stood still. "There, all done." Keiko said as she backed away. 

  


"Wow." That was all that Bronwyn could say. She had never brushed her hair before and she looked completely different. 

  


"Now it's time for the make-up!" Botan squealed, holding up a tube of lipstick.

  


"I DON'T THINK SO!!" Bronwyn screamed, pulling out her knife and holding it in front of her defensively. "I let you change my clothes and I let you brush my hair, but I WILL NOT let you put makeup on me!" 

  


"Get it, Keiko!" Botan screamed. 

  


"Huh?"

  


Keiko suddenly launched forward and grabbed the knife out of Bronwyn's hands. She then rocketed out the bedroom door. 

  


"HEY!!" Bronwyn screamed and started towards the door as well, but Keiko was already back, panting wildly. 

  


"What did you do with my knife?!?!?!" 

  


"I...hid...it." Keiko whispered, wiping sweat off her forehead. 

  


Bronwyn grabbed Keiko's collar. "Tell me where you hid it or I will kill you." 

  


"If you kill me, you will never be able to find it." 

  


Knowing she was right, Bronwyn let go and slumped down onto the bed. "What do you want for it?" 

  


Botan and Keiko exchanged glances and then huddled together. They whispered excitedly for a moment and then turned back to face her. 

  


"Two things..." Botan started, 

  


"First, you have to let us put make-up on you." Keiko said. 

  


"Fine." Bronwyn growled. 

  


"Then, you have to participate in the Pair-Off Dance." Botan chirped. 

  


"And what is that?" 

  


"It's where every boy and girl at the party get paired off and you have to slow-dance through an entire song." 

  


Bronwyn was about to scream "NO WAY!!" until she felt the empty space in her pocket. She REALLY wanted her knife back. "Fine. But ONLY ONE SONG!!" 

  


Botan and Keiko started giggling. "One song." 

  


******************************************************************************

  


"We're here!!" Botan screamed happily as she, Keiko, and Bronwyn walked through the small portable overhead set up. As Bronwyn looked around, she felt very nervous. Everything was so bright and loud. She preferred quiet places.

  


As they started to make their way through the crowd, Bronwyn felt a lot of guy's eyes on her and she looked at the ground as she walked. She hated this kind of attention. _Men are nothing but monsters..._

  


Her thought was interrupted as she felt something cool slide around her waist. 

  


"Hey, baby." An unfamiliar guy oozed as he pulled Bronwyn closer to him. "Why don't you and me dance?" 

  


_Grrr...nobody touches me..._

  


"GET YOUR HAND OFF OF ME!!" She screamed, and before she knew what had happened, she had punched the guy in the face. He slammed against the ground hard, skidding a few feet back. 

  


Everybody turned to look at her. Bronwyn stormed off in a huff as Botan and Keiko looked at each other nervously. "Uh, she's just a little tense..." Botan said...

  


******************************************************************************

  


"So, you guys finally made it." Yusuke said, grinning as Botan and Keiko walked up to him and Kuwabara. 

  


"Hey, did that girl come?" Kuwabara said, looking sort of nervous. 

  


"Aww, is Kuwabara scared of the girl who beat him up?" Yusuke cooed.

  


"NO, I'm just....wondering if she came." Kuwabara said, flustered greatly. 

  


"Yes, she came." Keiko said, "But some guy touched her and she punched him right in the face." She pointed over to an table near the edge of the party where Bronwyn was sitting, looking very angry still. 

  


"THAT'S HER?!??!!? She's looking hot!" Yusuke screamed. 

"YUSUKE!"

  


"Hey, I was just joking, Keiko, don't slap me." Yusuke said, holding up his hands to protect himself . 

  


"Did Kurama and Hiei come?" Botan asked, looking around. 

  


"Yep. Kurama's over there..." He pointed to a table where Kurama sat, surrounded by five girls who were listening to his every word. 

  


"And Hiei's over there.." He pointed to the table farthest from the party, opposite of Bronwyn's table, where Hiei sat, eating a cookie and looking tense. 

  


"Why does he look so worried?" Botan asked. 

  


"Because I made him a bet that if he dances with a girl during the Pair-Off dance, I'll let him beat me up during his training session." Kuwabara said, grinning. 

  


A loudspeaker that was strung through the road suddenly came on. "Okay, we're going to pick up the pace a little. Everybody get in the dance floor!!" A voice screamed. 

  


Yusuke held out his hand to Keiko. "May we?" 

  


She blushed lightly and took his hand. They both walked into the crowd. 

  


Meanwhile, Bronwyn was still very unhappy about that guy touching her. _Of all the nerve...I knew I shouldn't of agreed to coming...or to that bet...dance with a guy.....Ugh. _

  


"Hello." 

  


Bronwyn looked up. "Hi Kurama." 

  


"Would you like to dance with me?" He asked. 

  


"I don't think so. I don't dance." 

  


"It's just for fun." 

  


"But I can't!" 

  


"Why not?" 

  


"Well, well...because...because I can't dance." 

  


Kurama smiled. "It's not hard. Come on." 

  


_Why fight him..._

  


"Okay." She pulled herself off her seat and followed him to the crowd. 

  


"Now what do I do?" She screamed over the roar of the crowd. 

  


"You just kind of sway." 

  


Bronwyn looked around and saw other people "swaying" and she slowly started to move her hips. "Like this?" 

  


"Yeah." 

  


After a minute or so, she smiled. "This is fun, I guess." 

  


_Did I just say that? I can't get attached to anything here, I'll be going home in a week...but...maybe I could stay awhile..._

  


******************************************************************************

  


"Okay, all you kids, it's almost time for this party to be over, and you know what that means!" 

  


Both Hiei and Bronwyn, who were sitting at their tables, both looked up at this point. 

  


"The Pair-Off Dance!!" The crowd screamed happily. 

  


_Oh, sh*t..._they both thought at the same time. 

  


Bronwyn noticed a older woman start to walk around and point to certain people. 

  


_Oh no, she's coming this way..._

  


Bronwyn jumped up and quickly started to walk away from her, but the woman had already noticed her. 

  


"You, girl!" The woman screamed, and ran over to her. "You're going to need a partner." The woman grabbed Bronwyn's arm and looked around eagerly. 

  


Her eyes stopped on Hiei, who looked like he was going to sprint off any second. "Come with me." She started to drag Bronwyn along behind her over to Hiei's table. 

  


"You, boy!" She screamed. "You are dancing with her." She pointed to Bronwyn. 

  


"HIM?" Bronwyn screamed. 

  


"HER?" Hiei screamed. 

  


She nodded. "Yes." She then walked away to pair off more people. 

  


"NO WAY!!" They both said at the same time, crossing their arms. 

  


"Hey, why are you here anyway?" Bronwyn asked him. She thought that he wouldn't of liked this kind of place. 

  


"Kuwabara bet that if I did this stupid dance, he would let me beat him up." 

  


"Are you kidding? Botan and Keiko hid my knife and wouldn't give it back unless I did this stupid dance." 

  


They both looked at each other. 

  


"Well, I guess we could just help each other out..." Bronwyn whispered. 

  


"Yeah, just so we can win our bets..." Hiei said, standing up. 

  


"Okay...now what do we do?" He asked. 

  


"I guess we copy what everyone else is doing." 

  


They both looked at the crowd and then back at each other. 

  


"Um..." She said, starting to move her hands up. She hesitated several times, but she finally put her hands gently on his shoulders. 

  


Hiei was the same way about touching her waist. But after a long period of time, he carefully put his hands around it. 

  


"Now what?" he asked. 

  


"I guess we just sway around." 

  


They started to move slowly, but Hiei stepped on Bronwyn's foot hard. 

  


"Watch it." she growled. 

  


Hiei just looked away. __

  


_This is so weird..._They both thought at the same time. 

  


Meanwhile, Yusuke had gotten paired up with a twenty year-old, Keiko with a twelve year-old, and Botan and Kuwabara had gotten paired up with each other. 

  


"Where's Hiei? Hiei better be dancing, or he loses the bet." Kuwabara grunted. 

  


"Same with Bronwyn." Botan said angrily. 

  


"Oh...my...gosh...LOOK!!" Keiko screamed, pointing to the far end of the dance, where Hiei and Bronwyn were dancing. 

  


"They got paired together!" Yusuke cried, quietly laughing. 

  


"You know, they look good together." Botan said seriously. 

  


"You know, now that you say that, they actually do." Keiko said, looking deep in thought. 

  


The song started to slow down and finally stopped, and everyone broke apart, except for Hiei and Bronwyn, who weren't paying attention to anything but how nervous they were. 

  


"Hey, why is everyone staring at us?" Bronwyn asked him as she saw people turn to them and point. All of a sudden, the realization that the music had stopped registered in both of their minds and they jumped apart. 

  


"Oh, uh..." Bronwyn whispered, feeling her face getting hot. 

  


They both just looked at each other for a moment, and then Hiei ran out of the party. The rest of the gang came running up to Bronwyn. 

  


"Did you guys not know that the music had stopped?" Keiko asked. 

  


"Or did you just not want it to end?" Yusuke joked, prodding Bronwyn. 

  


"We were just really nervous..." Bronwyn whispered, trying to hide the fact that she was blushing. 

  


"You guys look good together." Botan said, smiling knowingly at Bronwyn. 

  


"Where did you put my knife?" She snapped, trying to ignore what Botan had said. 

  


"Oh, yes." Keiko said, and reached into her pocket. "Here you go!" 

  


"IT WAS IN YOUR POCKET THE ENTIRE TIME!?!?!?!" Bronwyn screamed crazily.

  


"Well, I've gotta get going." Kuwabara whispered, and scurried out of the party. 

  


"Where is he off to in such a hurry?" Botan asked curiously. 

"He's got to write his death wish." Yusuke said, grinning. "Remember? Hiei gets to beat him up since he danced with a girl." 

  


"Hey, where's Kurama?" Keiko said suddenly, causing everyone to look around. "He was here a minute ago..." 

  


******************************************************************************

  


_I never want to do that again..._Hiei thought bitterly as he sat in one of his favorite trees.

  


But he kept thinking about Bronwyn. He couldn't stop. _She smelled nice...and looked nice...WHAT AM I THINKING?!?!?!_

  


"Hello." Kurama's voice nearly caused Hiei to fall out of the tree. "What do you want?" He sneered. 

  


"Just wanted to know if you have a good time." 

  


"Well....I didn't." Hiei stuttered, even though he wasn't really sure. 

  


"You don't sound that way." 

  


"Will you just leave, you stupid kitsune?" 

  


"Fine. But you should figure out your feelings soon." 

  


_What did he say? _Hiei peeked over the side of the branch he was sitting on to watch Kurama walk off, back to the lights of the city. 

  


_Hmm...._

  


_******************************************************************************_

  


I find this chapter very cute!! 

  


REVIEWS!!!!


	8. Chapter Seven: Luke's Gang

Thank-you for the nice reviews!!! 

  


I just got my braces off a couple of hours ago and I'm feeling good, so here's the next chapter!! 

  


Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I do own Bronwyn, Luke, and all the other guys in the group...

  


******************************************************************************

  


(Just so it's not confusing, the setting is after the party is over, and Bronwyn has told Kurama that she would like to walk the long way to his house by herself) 

  


As she walked down the sidewalk, Bronwyn kept scolding herself over and over again. 

  


_Stop blushing, stop blushing, stop blushing! Why do I feel so hot? I shouldn't! _

  


Meanwhile, Hiei was still thinking about what Kurama had said when he heard footsteps approaching. He peeked over the branch he was sitting on and saw Bronwyn walking quickly, looking very flustered. 

  


_What's the matter with her? _

  


He watched her until she turned the corner and then started to return to his thoughts when a sharp movement ahead caught his eye. A man dressed in black clothing sprinted towards the edge of the forest hurriedly. As he stopped and waited, he kept checking his watch over and over again. Finally, five other men emerged from the forest, all grinning. They whispered quietly amongst themselves for a few minutes, but Hiei heard someone say, "get the girl". They all started sprinting in the same direction Bronwyn had gone. 

  


_Hmm....._

  


_******************************************************************************_

  


_His touch seemed....familiar....but I can't place it...._

  


Bronwyn suddenly heard heavy footsteps plodding against the road. She cocked her head slightly to see a strange man walking close behind her. 

  


_Maybe he's just going the same direction I am..._

  


As she started to walk faster, she watched him out of the corner of her eye, waiting for him to turn somewhere, but he walked past all of the roads they passed. 

  


_He'll never follow me this way..._

  


She suddenly made a sharp right turn into an alley, praying that he wouldn't follow her, but there he was, still breathing down her neck. 

  


"Okay," She screamed boldly, turning to face him, "What do you want from me?" 

  


As he stepped into the moonlight, Bronwyn recognized him immediately. 

  


"Hey, baby," He oozed, rubbing his hand over a bruise that had developed on his cheek, "I don't believe that we've had our dance yet." 

  


"Get real." She snorted. "I could crush you into a pulp if I wanted to." 

  


He grinned. "You're probably right. But can you take on me and five of my friends?" Five other men suddenly walked out from the shadows, all with the same evil grin on their faces. 

  


_Grr...I can take on two guys, maybe three, but there is no way I can take on six. _She pulled her knife out and gripped it tight. _But I can sure as heck try. _

  


"I'm warning you. Don't come near me or you will die." She growled. 

  


The leader just laughed. "I don't think so. Get her!" 

  


Three of them began to run towards her. She crouched and leapt over their heads, landing behind them. Spinning around, she launched forward and stabbed one of them in the back. He collapsed onto the ground. 

  


"Do any of you still want to try?" She smirked, holding up the knife, which was covered in blood. 

  


The two remaining guys shared glances, and then looked back at the leader, who nodded. They both started towards her once more. 

  


"So you still want to do it the hard way." She laughed, and then began to run towards them, sticking out the knife in front of her. She was so intent on killing all of them that she didn't notice the leg sticking out in her path until it was too late. She slammed against it hard, sprawling out onto the ground, her knife clattering out of reach. 

  


_Of course! Why didn't I notice that one of them had disappeared? _

  


Her neck was suddenly pulled back roughly by a huge butcher knife. "I really hope that I don't have to kill you." The leader hissed, pushing the knife against her neck hard. Another man picked up Bronwyn's knife and slid it into his pocket. 

  


The leader yanked Bronwyn to her feet and motioned for two other men to grab her arms. 

  


"I guess I'll have to frisk you. Just to make sure you don't have any more weapons." He said, rubbing his hands together happily. 

  


"If you even make a move to come near me, I'll bite you." Bronwyn screamed, struggling to break her arms out of the mens' grasps. 

  


"You're a feisty one. But don't worry. A night at my house will calm you down." 

  


"That won't be happening." 

  


The leader turned to face the voice which had spoke and smirked. "And what are you going to do to stop me, shorty?" 

  


Hiei pulled his sword out and let it reflect the light of the moon. "Slice you into pieces." 

  


The leader looked at the sword nervously for a moment, and then started to laugh.

  


"You're nothing but a stupid kid who thinks he's some sort of ninja." He turned to face the guy that wasn't doing anything at the moment. "Will you get rid of him?" 

  


The guy started to move towards Hiei quickly, but he suddenly collapsed. 

  


"Wha..What happened?" The leader cried nervously, staring at the fallen man. 

  


"Simple." Hiei smirked, " I stabbed him." He held up his sword, which was covered in blood. 

  


"But how?!?" The leader screamed nervously, " I didn't even see you!" 

  


Bronwyn glanced up at the two men holding her captive, and then down at their feet, and then at her own feet. Thinking quickly, she carefully lifted her foot up high and brought it down hard on the guy to her left's foot. 

  


"OW!!" He cried, letting go of her arm and clutching his foot. Taking the chance, Bronwyn used her free hand to punch the other guy in the face, causing him to shoot back against the brick wall. 

  


"I'll take that." She sneered, yanking her knife out of his pocket. 

  


Meanwhile, Hiei was cornering the leader. "Don't target innocent girls unless you're prepared to pay the price." He growled. 

  


"Excuse me?" Bronwyn smirked, appearing beside him. "Girl, yes. Innocent, no." She held up her knife in front of her face. "Who wants to bleed?" 

  


A bright light suddenly flooded the alley, and the sounds of car horns blared. The leader grinned. "Looks like my friends have arrived." 

  


"Hey Luke," One called, "I got your call and saw your car parked over by the streetlight. Now where's this hot girl you said was here?" 

  


"Right there." Luke pointed to Bronwyn. 

  


Him and the other nineteen guys smiled happily. 

  


"This is bad." Bronwyn whispered nervously. 

  


"Stay behind me." Hiei ordered, holding his sword out in front of him. 

  


Bronwyn couldn't help but smile. _He's so forceful. I like that..._

  


"Aww, do you just want her for yourself, little boy?" One of the guys cooed. 

  


"No, I'm just trying to protect her from idiots like you." 

  


"That's enough. Just get both of them!" Luke screamed. 

  


The group started towards the pair. Hiei smirked and handed his sword to Bronwyn. "I don't need it." He then launched into the crowd. 

  


Suddenly, Luke reached out and knocked it out of Bronwyn's hands and pulled the butcher knife to her throat again. "I'm not letting you get away." He whispered, and motioned for another guy to grab her feet. "Just so you can't pull that cute little stomping trick again." 

  


Five minutes later, one of the guys ran over, panting crazily. "What do we do, Luke? He's wiping us out!" 

  


"Stupid, just use the pipe!" 

  


"Oh yeah! How hard?" 

  


"Just enough to knock him out." 

  


_What are they talking about? _Bronwyn wondered as the guy ran out of the alley. Her question was answered when he returned, carrying a small lead pipe. Hiei, who was busy pounding another guy's head into the pavement, didn't notice him approaching fast, the pipe raised above his head. 

  


"HIEI, LOOK OUT!!" Bronwyn screamed. 

  


It was too late. He brought the pipe down onto Hiei's head hard. Hiei slumped to the ground, unconscious. 

  


"Now let me kill him." Luke grinned, handing Bronwyn over to two other guys as he pulled himself up. 

  


_What do I do? Maybe I shouldn't do anything. This would take care of my assassination problem....But he did risk his life to save me....I owe him. _

  


"WAIT!!" She screamed. 

  


"What do you want?" Luke sneered. 

  


Bronwyn glared angrily at the two guys holding her arms. "Would you let me go?" 

  


They both looked at Luke, who nodded, laughing silently. "I want to hear this." 

  


"I think there's something you should know." Bronwyn calmly said as she positioned herself as a barrier between Luke and Hiei. 

  


"And what would that be?" 

  


"I could kill you all if I wanted to." 

  


Luke grinned. "Yeah right. Now move." He started to shove Bronwyn out of the way. 

  


In a flash, she had her knife out and slashed it across Luke's face. 

  


"Don't touch me." She sneered. 

  


As Luke held his hand over the long cut that was spread across his face, he glared at Bronwyn. "How did you do that?" 

  


"I was able to do that because I'm not human." 

  


Some of the group burst out in laughter at this point. Luke's glare turned into a playful smile. "Okay, then what are you, some kind of demon?"

  


Bronwyn grinned. "Exactly. And so is he." 

  


"Okay, well if you're supposed to be a demon, then prove it!" 

  


"I thought you'd never ask." She pulled off Hiei's white cloth and then lifted up her bangs to reveal both of their jagan eyes. 

  


"WHAT THE HECK ARE THOSE?" Luck screamed nervously, starting to back away. 

  


"They are jagan eyes and very powerful." 

  


She closed her eyes and her jagan eye began to glow. "Are you still planning on killing him?" She asked. 

  


"Uh, no....definitely not....we were just leaving.....RIGHT NOW." Luke stuttered and turned to his group. 

  


"RUN!!" 

  


As Bronwyn watched all of them sprint off like scared chickens, she smoothed her bangs back down and turned to Hiei. Kneeling down, she checked to see if his head was bleeding. 

  


_Well...I guess I'll have to....uh....carry him...._

  


He suddenly began to stir. Bronwyn sighed, very relieved. 

  


"What happened?" He grunted, rubbing his head. 

  


"You got hit with a metal pipe." Bronwyn laughed. She got up and grabbed his sword. "You should of used this." She joked, handing it back to him. 

  


"Hn." He whispered, sliding it back into its slot. He suddenly noticed his white cloth crumpled up on the ground. "Why..." 

  


"Long story." Bronwyn said, "Let's just say that you were about to be killed and it was the only choice left." 

  


As he tied it back around his head, Bronwyn stared at him. _That was so kind of him to help me like that..._She suddenly had this overwhelming urge to...to...

  


Not thinking, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks." She whispered in his ear. "Have to go." She took off sprinting out of the alley, leaving a very stunned Hiei.

  


******************************************************************************

"Where were you?" Kurama asked as Bronwyn strolled through the front door. "It's almost three in the morning. I've been waiting." 

  


She just grinned at him. "I got sidetracked. Let's leave it at that." She ran upstairs before he could ask her anything else. 

  


******************************************************************************

_"Bronwyn." Zink said, even though she couldn't see his body. "I can see that you are forgetting your mission." _

  


_"I'm not forgetting anything." She growled, glancing around for him._

  


_"Oh? Then why haven't you killed him yet?" _

  


_"Because...because..." But no matter how hard Bronwyn racked her brain, she couldn't think of a good reason why she hadn't._

  


"_Lay off. I've still got one week." _

  


_"Yes, but I think that you might need some encouragement." Zink suddenly appeared in front of her, smiling cruelly. _

  


_"What kind of encouragement?" _

  


_"Bronwyn, you know that I have the power of creating visions of people being murdered. And even if I want to, I can conjure up certain murders that have happened in the past." Zink lifted his arm and pointed a solitary finger at Bronwyn. "So why don't we find your sister's?" _

  


_"Zink, please, anything but that." Bronwyn cried, starting to back away from him. _

  


_"Too late." _

  


_The scenery around them started to melt away, revealing a small house in the middle of the forest._

  


_"What happened?" Bronwyn said nervously. _

  


_"Simple. We are now at the scene." Zink whispered, appearing beside her. "Look, here she comes." _

  


_A girl who looked to be fourteen exited the house and began to walk towards the forest. Bronwyn recognized her blond hair and blue eyes right away. _

  


_"That's my sister." She muttered, not really believing that she was seeing her again. _

  


_"Yes, and she is about to be your deceased sister." _

  


_"No, I can stop this." Bronwyn growled. _

  


_"No, you can't. It's already happened." Zink said calmly. _

  


_"Please, Zink, I'll kill him, I promise. Just don't make me watch this." Bronwyn whispered, closing her eyes. _

  


_"I don't believe you are being truthful. Come." He grabbed Bronwyn's hand and began to drag her after the girl. _

  


_"This is where it happened." He whispered as they both arrived at a clearing where Bronwyn's sister, Nadine, sat, picking flowers. _

  


_"I can't watch it. I won't watch it." Bronwyn screamed. _

  


_"But you must." _

  


_A loud crashing sound started to erupt from the forest and Nadine glanced up nervously. A tall grayish looking gargoyle-like demon entered the clearing. _

  


_"Who...who...are you?" Nadine timidly whispered. _

  


_He glanced at Nadine, having just noticed her for the first time. He grinned. "Good. I need to test my new knife out on a living thing." He held up a large silver knife. _

  


_Nadine hurriedly got up and began to run, trying to reach the cover of the forest, but she wasn't fast enough. _

  


_The demon launched the knife, hitting Nadine straight in the back. She collapsed onto the ground, a pool of blood surrounding her. The demon strode up to her and yanked the knife out of her. "It works perfectly." It grinned, and began to lick the blood off it. _

  


_"That monster." Bronwyn growled, "He killed her just to test his knife. HE WILL DIE." She started to sprint towards the demon, but Zink grabbed her shoulder. _

  


_"Now listen. If you do not kill Hiei by Friday, and today is Monday if you are not sure, I will imprint this into your mind, making you relive it every second of every day, until eventually, you will go insane." _

  


_"But..."_

  


_"Do you want to watch that again?" Zink angrily said, pointing to Nadine's dead body. _

  


_Bronwyn shook her head violently, trying to keep herself from crying. "I will do it." _

  


_******************************************************************************_

  


I feel like crying...

  


REVIEWS!!!! 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	9. Chapter Eight: Another Party?

I thought it would be so fun to have Hyacinth also in this story!! From Girl In Love, another of my stories. She's Kurama's girlfriend, if you don't care to read it. 

  


Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I do own Bronwyn and Hyacinth. That was pretty pointless. 

  


*****************************************************************************

  


_The countdown begins..._

  


*Tuesday*

  
  


As Bronwyn lounged on the rickety park bench, she was starting to regret her actions of the past night. 

  


_Why did I kiss him? Why? Well, I was just really tired....and not really thinking....OH, I don't know!!! _

  


She spread out, letting her arms dangle. _I just need to forget about it. It's not like it had any meaning....did it? _

  


"BRONWYN!!" 

  


She recognized the voice immediately. "Hey Botan." She said as the blue-haired girl came running up to the bench. 

  


"Fancy seeing you here." Botan panted, as Bronwyn scooted over to make room for her.

  


"So, have fun last night?" Botan asked. 

  


"Not really." 

  


"Are you sure?" Botan whispered, a playful light in her eyes, "You and Hiei looked pretty..." 

  


"NOT REALLY." Bronwyn growled, not wanting to go there. 

  


"Okay, why are you so hostile?"

  


"I'm not hostile!" 

  


"You sound hostile." 

  


"Why don't you go jump off a cliff?" 

  


"Sorry, sorry." There was a brief silence between them, followed by a heavy sigh, courtesy of Bronwyn. 

  


"Well, are you going to the pool party tonight?" Botan asked. 

  


"Another party?" 

  


"Yes, it's being hosted by Kurama's girlfriend, I think." 

  


"He has a girlfriend?" 

  


"Yes, I didn't know either until today." 

  


"I don't know..." Bronwyn was hesitant. _I really don't want to have to go through anything like last night. _

  


"It'll be fun." Botan pleaded. "I'm going to try and convince Hiei to come." 

  


"Why would that affect my decision?"

  


"Oh, I don't know...." 

  


"Botan, what are you getting at?" Bronwyn was starting to get angry at Botan's interest in her and Hiei. 

  


"I'll lend you a bathing suit." Botan whispered, trying to stray away from her misuse of words. 

  


"If I'm bored tonight, maybe." 

  


"Great. Got to run." Before Bronwyn could say anything else, Botan was gone. 

  


_Hmph...whatever..._

  


_******************************************************************************_

  


"Kurama, are you going to that pool party?" Bronwyn asked him. 

  


"Yes." 

  


"I didn't know you had a girlfriend." 

  


Kurama seemed flustered by this statement. "How do you know?" 

  


"Botan told me." 

  


"Oh. Are you going?" 

  


"I don't think so. I mean, there was just a party last night..." 

  


"It'll be fun." 

  


"That's what Botan said. Who else is going?" 

  


"Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko, Botan, the usual..." 

  


"Is Hiei going?" _WHY DID I ASK THAT? _

  


Kurama turned from the mirror to look at Bronwyn curiously. "I don't know...why do you ask?" 

  


"No reason." 

  


He stared at her for a few more seconds before reaching into his dresser drawer. "Well, you make up your mind while I go and change, okay?" 

  


"Okay." 

  


He left the room. 

  


_I guess I could go...Hiei would never come...I don't have to worry...._

  


_******************************************************************************_

  


Even though they were still half a block away from the apartment complex, Bronwyn could already hear loud music. 

  


"Where exactly is this party?" She asked nervously. 

  


"I think it's outside, around the apartment's pool." 

  


"Hey guys, wait up!!" Botan's voice echoed across the street. She sprinted up to the pair, her arms weighed down with towels and other various bags. 

  


"Bronwyn, this is for you." She panted, holding out a small silver bag. Bronwyn took it cautiously and peeked inside. 

  


"What is this?" 

  


"It's a bathing suit, silly. I got you a one-piece." 

  


"Where's everyone else?" Kurama asked. 

  


"Oh, they are probably already there. The party started almost twenty minutes ago. So let's get going!" 

  


They all walked quickly up to the metal gate. Kurama pushed the intercom button gently. Static was heard for a second before a girl's voice was heard. 

  


"Hello?" 

  


"Hi Hyacinth, it's Shuichi." 

  


"I was wondering when you would get here. Hold on a minute. Can you believe that they are letting me work the gates tonight?" 

  


The intercom went silent and suddenly the gates began to creak slowly open. 

  


"Shuichi? Who the heck is that?" Bronwyn asked as they walked through the now open gates. 

  


Kurama and Botan shared a look for a moment and then they began to laugh quietly. "It's a long story." Kurama said. "I'll tell you later." 

  


Even though Bronwyn was confused, she quickly forgot about it when the entered the pool area. _Again with the lights. I'm going to go blind one of these days. _

  


A unfamiliar girl suddenly ran up to the trio. 

  


"You're late." She said directly to Kurama, even though she had a playful tone to her voice. 

  


"I know. Sorry." 

  


She laughed and threw her arms around his neck. She suddenly noticed Bronwyn and Botan watching her actions with interest. 

  


"Who are your friends?" She asked. Bronwyn noticed a glint of suspicion in her eyes. 

  


"Oh, yes, this is Bronwyn and Botan. Guys, this is Hyacinth." 

  


Bronwyn and Botan waved. "Glad you could come." Hyacinth said, even though her voice sounded a little dull suddenly. 

  


"Oh yes, and Hiei is here also." Hyacinth said to Kurama. 

  


_What? But how? _Bronwyn thought wildly until she turned to Botan, who had a grin on her face as she watched Hiei leaning against the metal gate at the edge of the pool, looking very angry. 

  


Botan noticed Bronwyn staring at her strangely, and started laughing. She tapped her head playfully. "Knowledge is power." 

  


"What's that supposed to mean?" 

  


"Oh yeah, you don't know." 

  


"What are you talking about?" 

  


Botan grew silent for a moment, her face starting to get a little red, when she suddenly broke out in a grin. 

  


"Oh look, there's Kuwabara and Yukina!" She waved violently, trying to direct Bronwyn's attention elsewhere. 

  


"Hello Botan." Yukina said as she and Kuwabara approached them. 

  


"I'm really glad you could come, Yukina." Botan said, looking nervous. 

  


"And so am I!!" Kuwabara cried happily. 

  


Everyone ignored him. "So, Bronwyn, this is Yukina." Botan said. 

  


Bronwyn waved slightly to the unfamiliar girl. _Does she have anything to do with Botan's "knowledge"? _

  


"C'mon Yukina, let's get in the pool." Kuwabara said, grabbing her hand. 

  


"Okay, Kazuma. Nice meeting you, Bronwyn." Yukina whispered kindly as she walked toward the pool. 

  


Meanwhile, Hiei was still upset about Botan blackmailing him. _That stupid useless baka. She never should of found out about Yukina. Now I have to spend an entire evening in this stupid hell hole. _

  


"Hello Hiei. Having fun?" Botan chirped happily, appearing in front of him. 

  


He shot her a death-glare. 

  


"Well, aren't you the happy camper!! Just wanted to let you know that you should come sit with everyone else." 

  


"Why should I?" 

  


She just stared at him for a moment and then cocked her head towards the pool. "Oh, Yukina..." 

  


"Okay, okay!!" He got up and followed her over to the group, grumbling. 

  


"Hey, Hiei." Yusuke choked as he was trying to stuff an entire hot dog into his mouth at once. 

  


"Yusuke, eat like a normal person." Keiko badgered, trying to wipe the ketchup off his face with a napkin. 

  


Hiei settled over by the edge of the group, his arms folded defiantly. Botan motioned Bronwyn over to the small circle, who she had left standing helplessly by the pool. 

  


Hiei watched her out of the corner of his eye as she sat down between Keiko and Botan. He also still felt a little stunned by that kiss. But the thing that surprised him the most was that it felt.....kind of, sort of....nice. 

  


Yusuke and Keiko kept chatting nonchalantly, and Botan piped in a few times, but most of her attention was on the awkward silence that seemed to be hanging in the air. She noticed that both Bronwyn and Hiei were looking in opposite directions. _I know that they are both conservative, but something just seems...awkward. _

  


"So, Bronwyn," Botan said happily, trying to start a conversation, "What did you end up doing after the party last night?" 

  


"What? Oh, uh...um...." 

  


Botan noticed Bronwyn starting to turn red, and kept occasionally glancing at Hiei. Intrigued, Botan now directed the question at Hiei. 

  


"Hiei, what did you end up doing after the party last night?"

  


He snorted. "Nothing important." 

  


Botan glanced back at Bronwyn, and could of sworn that she saw a small glimmer of hurt in her eyes. But it quickly disappeared. _Did they do something together? _

  


Bronwyn abruptly got up. "I think I'll change into this bathing-suit you got for me, Botan." She scurried away. 

  


Hiei also pulled himself off the ground and started to walk away. 

  


"Where do you think you're going?" Botan screamed after him. 

  


He turned his head and smirked. "I'm going to get some food." He disappeared into the crowd. 

  


Suddenly, an idea entered Botan's head. "Hey, Keiko, Yusuke. Don't you think that they would be cute together?" 

  


"Who?" Yusuke asked. 

  


"Bronwyn and Hiei." 

  


"I do." Keiko whispered. 

  


Yusuke just snorted. "Yeah, but you overlooked the fact that neither one of them have any interest in the other." 

  


"I wouldn't be too sure about that. I have a idea...." 

  


******************************************************************************

  


"Why did I ever agree to come?" Bronwyn said out loud as she struggled to pull her bathing-suit on. "This is stupid." 

  


She finally succeeded in pulling the straps onto her shoulders, and stuffed her clothes into the silver bag lazily. _Nothing important...why, the nerve of him..._

  


She opened the bathroom door slowly, poking her head out to see if anyone was around, and then walked out very slowly. 

  


She suddenly saw Botan waving her over from the side of the party. She slowly started to make her way over. 

  


Botan quickly turned to Keiko and Yusuke. "Okay, Kurama and Hyacinth have already prepared the basement. It's pitch black." She rubbed her hands together happily. "This will be so much fun!!" 

  


"What?" Bronwyn asked, having reached the trio. 

  


Botan spun around roughly and smiled. "Oh, yes, well, we were wondering if you were going to go swimming." 

  


Bronwyn turned around to look at the pool. The water seemed very deep. "Well, I can't." She stuttered nervously. 

  


"Why not?" 

  


"Because...I can't swim." 

  


Yusuke started to laugh, but Keiko quickly jabbed him in the stomach. "That's fine." she said. "Why don't you just go sit on the steps?" 

  


"Well...okay..." Bronwyn set her bag down cautiously and then turned around and started to walk towards the pool. When she was far enough away, Keiko shot a glare at Yusuke. 

  


"Why were you such an insensitive jerk?!?!?" 

  


"Sorry, Keiko." Yusuke whispered. "It's just sort of funny." 

  


"Guys, we don't have time for this." Botan carefully reached into the bag and after a minute of rummaging, grinned. "Bingo." She pulled out Bronwyn's knife. She handed it to Keiko. "Take this to the basement." 

  


Keiko nodded, grabbing the knife and ran off. Botan then turned to Yusuke. "I have an important mission for you. Think you can handle it?" 

  


Yusuke nodded jokingly. "What's this "important mission"? I can handle it." 

  


"I need you to get Hiei's sword." 

  


"What?!? He'll kill me!!" 

  


"Not if you take it without him knowing. What if I told you that a relationship could blossom from this one event? Then would you do it?" 

  


Yusuke just looked at Botan for a moment and then sighed. "Fine." 

  


"Great. When you get it, take the sword to Kurama also, okay?" 

  


"Whatever. Where is Hiei, anyway?" 

  


"Over there." Botan pointed to the metal fence once again, where Hiei was eating a cookie. "Now go! We don't have all night!!" 

  


"Okay, sheesh!!" Yusuke took off running towards Hiei. As Botan watched him, she smiled. _This could just be the boost that they both need..._

  


_******************************************************************************_

  


"Hey Hiei." Yusuke said nervously as he walked up to the fire demon. 

  


"What do you want?" Hiei asked. 

  


"Nothing. I just wanted to see if you're having a good time." 

  


Hiei eyed him suspiciously and then looked away. 

  


Yusuke groaned inside his mind. _This is practically impossible. How the heck am I supposed to get it? _

  


"Why aren't you swimming?" 

  


"Why would I want to go swimming with a bunch of humans?" 

  


"You have nothing else to do." 

  


"Hn." 

  


Botan suddenly appeared beside Yusuke, a fake smile plastered on. 

  


"So, Yusuke, have you collected anything yet?" She gritted. 

  


"No." 

  


She shot him an exasperated "I have to do everything myself" look and then turned to Hiei. 

  


"I think that it would be in your best interest to go swimming." She said in a serious tone. 

  


"I don't think so." Hiei said, folding his arms. 

  


Botan cocked her head abruptly to the pool. "Oh, Yukina..." 

  


"Fine, I will." He growled, standing up. 

  


"You probably need to take off your cloak." 

  


Mumbling something about how much he hated humans, Hiei pulled off his cloak swiftly and laid it on the ground. 

  


"Oh, and you also probably need to leave your sword here also. It might rust in the water." Botan said. 

  


Hiei looked at her strangely for a second but then pulled his sword out also and sat it down softly on top of his cloak. He then began to walk over to the side of the pool. 

  


"Was that so hard?" Botan said in a scolding tone, picking up the sword carefully. She thrust it into Yusuke's hands. "Go and give it to Kurama." 

  


Grumbling, Yusuke began to run towards the basement.

  


******************************************************************************

  


"Almost time. Are the shades pulled?" Botan asked hurriedly as she poked her head into the near pitch-black room. 

  


"Yep. Now could you direct me towards the door?" Hyacinth joked. 

  


"Okay, Kurama, now just set the sword and knife right there in the center of the room. And then we can let the fun begin." 

  


Kurama gently set the two items down and then exited. "And what is this supposed to accomplish exactly, Botan?" 

  


"It's just an opportunity for them to have a little quality time." She grinned mischievously. "And so we can have some enjoyment." 

  


Before anyone could say anything else, Botan was sprinting towards the pool_. _

  


"Hey, Bronwyn!" Botan called urgently, trying to keep herself from smiling. 

  


"What do you want?"

  


"Some kid ran off with your knife!!" 

  


"WHAT??" Bronwyn immediately jumped out of the pool and glared at Botan. "Where were you?" 

  


"Sorry, I wasn't looking at the moment. But I saw them throw it into the basement." Botan almost let a small giggle out, but managed to control herself. 

  


"Where's that?" 

  


"Over there. Do you see where Kurama is?" 

  


Bronwyn was off in a flash. Botan was finally able to let out her laugh, and then trying to not waste anymore time, took off sprinting towards Hiei. 

  


"Hiei!!" 

  


"What do you want?" 

  


"Some kid ran off with your sword!!" 

  


"WHAT??" He immediately pulled himself out of the pool and looked around furiously. "Where did they go?" 

  


"Yusuke saw them throw it in the basement." 

  


"Where's that?" 

  


"Do you see where Kurama is?" She pointed over to the basement door, where Bronwyn was strangling Yusuke because he wouldn't open the door.

  


When Hiei arrived at the scene, Yusuke grinned and pulled open the door. "Enter." 

  


Both Hiei and Bronwyn looked at him suspiciously and then cautiously walked into the room. 

  


"Hey, I don't see anything!!" Bronwyn screamed. 

  


"That's because it's too dark for you to see anything, baka." Hiei smirked. 

  


"Don't you dare call me that or I'll...." 

  


"You'll what?" 

  


Their conversation was interrupted by Botan screaming, "Have fun!!" and then the door slamming shut, leaving them in total and complete darkness. 

  


"Lock the door, lock the door, lock the door!!" Keiko screamed as Yusuke fumbled with the keys. He finally was able to twist the golden key, and everyone heard the satisfying click. 

  


"Now we just sit back and see what happens." Botan chirped. 

  


******************************************************************************

  


I wasn't planning on ending it like this, but it was getting WAY too long. 

  


REVIEWS!!! __


	10. Chapter Nine: FIRE!

Hey, just a note for all of you who are reading this, if you want this fic to continue, I'm sort of running short on ideas. I have the rest of Tuesday, and Friday is already completely worked out, but something has to happen Wednesday and Thursday. So if you have any ideas, just put them in a review or e-mail me. ^_^ Thanks!!! 

  


Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of the characters associated with it. I do own Bronwyn, Hyacinth, and Kant, since they are the product of thinking done in my mind. Thank-you for taking the time to read my story. 

  


******************************************************************************

  


"I'm going to kill them when I find the door." Bronwyn growled, holding up her hands in front of her, trying to grope onto something. 

  


"There won't be anything left after I'm done with them." Hiei sneered, also trying to find the wall. 

  


Bronwyn raised her hand up farther and finally ran her hand against something unfamiliar. 

  


"Get your hand off my face." Hiei growled, reaching out and grabbing her wrist. 

  


"Sorry. I can't see anything." She whispered, shaking her hand, trying to get him to let go. 

  


For the next few moments, there was this big silence, even though inside, Bronwyn was still feeling ticked about Hiei's comment earlier. 

  


_How could he say that he did "nothing important?" I think I'm pretty important...Wait a minute, why do I even care what he thinks? This is pointless....but how could he say that?!?! I just want to yell at him...._

  


Bronwyn could ignore this thought no longer. 

  


"HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT?!?!?!" 

  


"What are you talking about, human?" She heard Hiei's voice from across the room. 

  


"HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT WHAT YOU DID LAST NIGHT WASN'T IMPORTANT?" 

  


"Why does it bother you?" 

  


"I....I don't know, it just does!" 

  


Silence echoed throughout the room. 

  


"There was no reason to tell Botan what happened." 

  


More silence. 

  


"Hmph." Bronwyn muttered. 

  


******************************************************************************

  


"Where is that damn door?" Hiei muttered. They had been in the basement for almost an hour now, and both of them weren't even close to the door. 

  


"This is pointless." Bronwyn sighed, settling down against the wall. She heard Hiei sit down near her. 

  


She suddenly felt herself yawning. She hadn't noticed how tired she was until then. Leaning her head back against the concrete wall, she closed her eyes and felt herself drifting off into sleep. 

  


Hiei, meanwhile, was now listening to Bronwyn's light snoring, and also thinking about what she had said. _I didn't think that it wasn't important, I just didn't want Botan or any of those humans to know about it. I just think...._

  


His thought was suddenly interrupted when he felt something heavy fall onto his shoulder. He moved his hand over to it and he felt Bronwyn's hair. _She must of fell over. I should move her..._

  


But something inside was telling him that he shouldn't disturb her. _I guess I could tolerate her for a while...._He was starting to feel drowsy himself....

  


******************************************************************************

  


"What's going on? I can't hear anything!!" 

  


"Maybe they are...you know....doing something...." 

  


"Yusuke, grow up!!" 

  


The whole gang had their ears pushed up to the basement door, listening for any sounds in the locked room, but nothing could be heard. 

  


"This is boring. I'll be over at the pool." Yusuke said, getting up. 

  


Botan glanced from the door for a moment and caught sight of Hyacinth, who was staring at the front gates with a worried look on her face.

  


"Something wrong?" Botan asked. 

  


"Do you hear that?" Hyacinth whispered, a wavering tone in her voice.

  


Botan listened for a moment, and could faintly hear what sounded like screams and whoops of laughter. They seemed louder with each passing second. 

  


"Yes, what is it?" 

  


Hyacinth didn't answer her, but instead sighed. "It's my stepbrother." (Author: Yes, Hyacinth has a step-brother. Her mother was divorced.)

  


The road leading up to the gate suddenly flooded with the headlights of cars. Hyacinth winced and then stood up. The cars roared through the gates, which she had left open, and skidded to a screeching halt right near the pool area. 

  


About five guys hopped out of the two cars, all laughing loudly. One slithered up to Hyacinth and smiled goofily. "Hey, how's it going?" He slurred. 

  


She just stared at him seriously for a moment. "Kant, have you been drinking?" She asked. 

  


"Hey, chill out, I just had some beers, no big deal." He laughed, and held up a big can of gasoline. "Me and the guys thought we'd stop by and liven this party up." 

  


"Please Kant, no. I don't want you here. You aren't supposed to be here." Hyacinth pleaded, looking very upset. 

  


"Nonsense, this will be fun." Kant walked over to the pool area and started to yell. "Everybody out!!! RIGHT NOW!!" 

  


People slowly started to make their way out, staring at Kant strangely. When the area was clear, he opened up the gasoline can and began to pour it straight into the water. 

  


"Kant, what are you doing?!?" Hyacinth screamed crazily. 

  


He looked back at her and grinned. "I think that a bonfire is in order." 

  


Dropping the tank, he pulled a box of matches out of his pocket and struck a match. Then, taking one final look at everyone behind him, threw the match into the water.

  


The entire pool immediately ignited, flames shooting up crazily everywhere. The night suddenly started to fill with screams and heavy footsteps running towards the front gate. 

  


Hyacinth, who was crying, turned to Botan wildly. "It's going to spread to the apartment buildings. Go and tell everyone to get out now." 

  


Botan nodded nervously and started to run towards the first complex right behind the pool area. 

  


Hyacinth glanced around hurriedly to see if anyone was still in the area, and then started to run after the crowd. 

  


******************************************************************************

  


"Everybody just needs to stay calm." A firefighter ordered the crowd of frenzied people standing nervously behind the yellow caution tape set up around the pool area. The fire had spread to the apartment complex behind it, but luckily, Botan had been able to direct everyone out before it had. 

  


"We are going to extinguish the fire eventually." The firefighter then turned to Hyacinth, who was still looking very frazzled. "Now Miss, are you sure that no one is still in the vicinity?" 

  


"Yes, I am." 

  


"Good." 

  


The firefighter turned his head and started to shout orders at other firefighters who were preparing hoses. 

  


Botan was standing near Hyacinth and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm really sorry that this happened." She whispered. Hyacinth just looked ahead and then swallowed hard. "It's fine. My stupid stepbrother just can't stop his drinking habit." 

  


Botan nodded and then removed her hand. Then suddenly and without warning, she remembered...

  


"Oh my gosh, BRONWYN AND HIEI ARE STILL IN THERE!!" She screamed crazily, causing half of the crowd to turn and look at her. 

  


Hyacinth stared at her nervously. "I thought you let them out!!" 

  


"No, we have to get back in there, they're going to die!!"

  


****************************************************************************** 

The smoke sifting through the cracks underneath the door was what caused Bronwyn to wake. Opening her eyes slowly, her first thought was....

  


_What the heck am I doing leaning on Hiei's shoulder? _

  


She quickly leapt away. Glancing around, she could immediately tell that something was wrong. The air was so heavy, and she was having some problems breathing. Choking, she crawled back to where she thought Hiei was and felt around for him, finally landing her hand on his knee. 

  


"Hiei, wake up." She whispered, shaking him. 

  


"What do you want?" He muttered. 

  


"Do you smell that?" 

  


Hiei opened his eyes and glanced around. The air _did _seem strange. Standing up, he glanced around, and noticed that there seemed to be some light coming from a section of the wall. "It smells like smoke." 

  


"Well, where is it coming from?" Bronwyn cried, starting to feel nervous. She remembered hearing music and voices before, but now, there was just this spooky silence. _Something's not right._

  


"We need to get out of here." She whispered, walking forward cautiously. "The door must be where the light's coming from." 

  


She hadn't noticed until she reached the door and felt the handle how unbearably hot it was getting. Wiping the sweat off her forehead, she groped around for the doorknob, but when her hand finally brushed against the metal, she pulled it back in alarm. "Okay, now I'm scared. The doorknob is burning hot." 

  


Moving her foot back, she suddenly felt it brush against something sharp._ What was that? _She got down on her hands and knees once more and slid her hand against the floor until she landed on something cool. She recognized it immediately.

  


"My knife!" She said in joy, holding it up. As she used her free hand to get up, she ran against something else. Lifting it up, she realized that it was a sword. 

  


"I think this is yours." She said. She suddenly had an idea. "We can use my knife to break the lock!" 

  


Making her way back over to the door, she let the knife wander around the door until it slid into a crack. Moving it down, she slammed it against the lock hard, putting all her might into it. "I..think...I...got...it." She grabbed onto the doorknob once again, and trying to ignore the burning sensation, twisted it quickly. 

  


Pushing the door open, she nearly gasped. "Oh...my..god..." She whispered, looking out into an inferno of flames. Hiei made his way to the door, and also was a little rattled by the sight. 

  


"Just keep walking." He ordered, pushing Bronwyn forward. She meekly obeyed, too scared to think straight. A wooden beam that had been firmly set above the basement collapsed behind them. 

  


"We're going to die, we're going to die...." 

  


"Would you stop? We just have to find a way out." Hiei sneered, annoyed at her attitude, even though he was a little nervous about the situation. Flames seemed to be everywhere. 

  


Bronwyn moved forward slowly, even though she could feel the flames licking at her arms and legs. "Now what?" She whispered, looking behind her. But to her surprise, there was no one there. 

  


"Hiei?"

  


No answer. 

  


_Well, this is just great. He probably just got out of here himself, leaving me here to burn. Typical. Well, I don't need him!_

  


Feeling a wave of confidence wash over her, she began to walk boldly forward. But with each step, she felt a little weaker. There was no way out in sight, no relief from the fire. The smoke was getting so thick that she was starting to gasp for breath. 

  


Coughing violently, she felt her knees start to tremble. 

  


"It's...so....hot..." 

  


Not being able to stand it anymore, she collapsed onto the ground. Everything was starting to mesh together, and dance around in front of her eyes playfully. 

  


_So....I'm going to die here, laying on the ground. It's really not that bad, since when I'm dead, I won't have to worry about killing anyone, and I'll finally get to join my sister....I've missed her...._

  


Bronwyn suddenly felt herself being lifted up off the ground. _What's going on? Am I dead? Is this what it feels like to die? _

  


Opening her eyes, she saw Hiei's face. 

  


_What?_

  


She suddenly realized what was happening.

  


_He's carrying me. _

  


Bronwyn was very confused by this. "What are you doing?" She whispered, "I thought that you had saved yourself." 

  


Even though her vision was blurry, she could see his smirk clearly. 

  


"You should of just left me there." 

  


"Why would I do that?" 

  


"I...I...didn't think you cared." 

  


Hiei just looked ahead. 

  


Suddenly, voices were heard in the distance. "Are you alive?" "Are you okay?" 

  


Bronwyn couldn't stay awake any longer. Grabbing onto Hiei's shirt to keep from falling over, she closed her eyes and drifted off...

  


******************************************************************************

  


"Bronwyn, can you hear me? Bronwyn!" 

  


As Bronwyn opened her eyes slowly, she could see Botan's worried face right in front of her. 

  


"Thank goodness you're okay." Botan sighed. 

  


"Where...where am I?" 

  


"You're laying in the ambulance right outside the apartment complex. They had to treat you for smoke inhalation." 

  


Bronwyn sat up straight. "How did we get out?" 

  


Botan shrugged. "Hiei just sort of walked through the flames. He was carrying you. The firefighters grabbed you from him immediately and then brought you over here." 

  


"Where is Hiei?" 

  


"He was treated also. He's probably in that other ambulance over there." She pointed to another white van parked a couple of yards away. She then turned back to Bronwyn and staring at her for a moment, broke down in tears. 

  


"Oh, I'm so sorry! If I hadn't of locked you in that basement in the first place, none of this would of happened!" She cried, burying her face in her hands. 

  


"It's okay." Bronwyn said, not really sure what else to say in this situation. When Botan looked up, Bronwyn extended her hand out. "Will you help me down?" 

  


Botan, though looking confused, helped her down to the ground. "You still might be a little wobbly, though." She sniffed ,wiping away her tears. 

  


"Will you help me, then?" 

  


"Where do you want to go anyway?" 

  


Bronwyn grew silent for a moment before answering. "I have to see if Hiei is okay. He...he...he saved me."

  


******************************************************************************

  


After thirty minutes of small, shaky footsteps, Bronwyn had finally reached the other ambulance. Hiei was sitting inside, even though he didn't seem too happy about it. 

  


"I don't need treatment." He growled. 

  


"Are...are you okay?" Bronwyn asked shakily, grabbing onto the side ambulance door to keep from falling over. 

  


"I'm fine." 

  


Silence. 

  


Bronwyn began to feel this little nagging sensation inside her telling her to do something that she hadn't done before...

  


_No, that's just weird. I won't. He saved my life, but I don't need to do that..._

  


Even though she tried to fight it, the feeling was too strong...

  


She hugged him. 

  


Hiei stiffened up right away, confused by what she was doing, but it didn't matter to Bronwyn. 

  


When she let go, she started to feel her face getting hot once more and motioned for Botan to come over. 

  


"I need to go." She whispered, grabbing onto Botan's shoulder. 

  


******************************************************************************

  


"What was _that?" _

  


"Did it feel good?" 

  


"Did he hug you back?" 

  


"GET AWAY FROM ME!!!" 

  


_Gosh, you try to be friendly to someone, and this is what it gets you...._

  


"GUYS, IT WAS NOTHING!!!" 

  


Everybody backed off at this point. 

  


The gang, minus Hiei, was walking slowly down the abandoned street, talking quietly about the party and everything that had happened, but now the main subject of focus was the hug Bronwyn had given Hiei. 

  


"Why would you want to hug that shrimp anyway?" Kuwabara said, making a face. 

  


Bronwyn glared at him. "Don't call him that. He saved my life." 

  


"Why are you defending him? I thought you didn't even like him." Yusuke said curiously. 

  


Bronwyn didn't say anything, but instead looked down at the ground. 

  


"I thought I didn't..." 

  


******************************************************************************

  


_"You are testing my patience, Bronwyn. I know that I gave you until Friday, but I am an anxious demon." _

  


_"Will you just stop bugging me, Zink? I'm still planning on doing it." _

  


_"Oh? And what about that hug you gave him?" _

  


_Bronwyn's eyes perked up. "How do you know about that?" _

  


_Zink paused a moment before answering. "I have my ways." _

  


_Even though Bronwyn was curious, she didn't give it a second thought. "He saved my life, Zink. I couldn't control myself." _

  


_"How do I know that you won't back out of this, even with my threat?" _

  


_There was silence for a moment. _

  


_"You don't." _

  


_******************************************************************************_

  


Once again, I NEED IDEAS FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!! 

  


REVIEWS!!! 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	11. Chapter Ten: A Trip To The Mall

Sorry, but even though the ideas you had were good (And yuki-san, I thought that your's was very creative) I have thought up my own idea. Sorry again!! 

  


Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of the characters associated with it. I do own Bronwyn, Luke, the guys in his gang, the little boy at the beginning, Senkichi and Mika.

******************************************************************************

  


*Wednesday* 

  


"Oh no, my ball!! Come back!" The little boy screamed as his orange ball flew down the sidewalk rapidly. 

  


Bronwyn took a break from her light strides to look up and caught sight of the ball moving quickly towards her. Bending down, she allowed it to roll into her outstretched arms. The child ran up to her, out of breath from his chase. 

  


"May I have my ball back, please?" He asked, smiling brightly. Bronwyn couldn't help but smile also. 

  


"Of course." She whispered, holding out the ball in front of her, "Just be careful with it, okay?" 

  


"Okay." He said happily, snatching the ball out of her arms. He took off sprinting back down the sidewalk. 

  


She sighed. _Children. So innocent._

  


Continuing to walk, she pulled a small crumpled ball of paper from her pocket and began to open it carefully. Kurama had left to go to the mall early, but had left her a note with instructions on how to get there if she had wanted to join him. Well, actually, that wasn't what the note had said...

  


_Bronwyn- _

  


_Went to the mall. Here are instructions there if you would like to join us. _

  


As her eyes skimmed the words once again, she felt her curiosity building up. _"What did he mean by 'us'? Did he go there with another person?_

  


She studied the instructions for a moment and then made a sharp turn at the corner. _I guess I'll find out when I get there..._

  


She could now see the mall rising up in front of her. Quickening her pace, she stuffed the paper nonchalantly back into her pocket, but accidently brushed the back of her hand against the cloth. 

  


She let out a loud yelp and pulled her hand out abruptly. Staring at it, she realized that she must of rubbed against her small burn.

  


Her burn. The only injury she had received from the fire the night before. _It would of been much worse if Hiei hadn't..._

  


She shook her head roughly. _I don't need to be thinking about that..._

  


******************************************************************************

  


_Gosh, it's so crowded...._

  


As Bronwyn made her way through the constant stream of people coming to and fro, she couldn't help but feel nervous. _Way too many people, way too many..._

  


Finally discovering a slow spot in the traffic, she rested and took her first good look around. _Now, where could Kurama be? _

  


There were so many shopsthat it was making Bronwyn dizzy. _I guess I should just start walking and see what happens..._

  


She began to walk again, glancing curiously in every store window as she passed. Her initial quest was to find Kurama, but now she was starting to become entranced by all of the interesting things there were to see. Gigantic t.v screens filled with shots of mind-wrenching explosions, supposedly immovable toys that sprang to life when you touched them in a certain place, neon lamps that illuminated the area around them with a breath-taking light. It was all so exciting. 

  


As she took her sights off a musical jewelry box, she noticed something peculiar at the end of the row of stores. A group of four male teenagers were leaning against a side wall, just chatting amongst themselves. But what was weird was that three of them were staring at her. She felt a strange chill run over her body. _They seem....familiar...._

  


The tallest one, who had his back turned to her, turned around for the first time and Bronwyn got a glance at his face. She immediately remembered where he was from... 

  


***************

  


_"Hey baby, we still haven't had our dance yet..." _

  


_***************_

  


Even though she didn't want to go anywhere near them, they were right beside the one path that she had to take if she was to explore the remainder of the mall. 

  


Slowly starting to move forward, she looked down at the ground. _Just don't look at them....Wait a second, why am I afraid of some stupid humans?....they wouldn't dare mess with me again....I will not be afraid. _

  


Holding her head high, she watched the group out of the corner of her eye. The leader's(Or Luke, if she remembered) face was enough to make her want to laugh. He still had a bruise on his left cheek from her punch, and on the other side, the long slash she had caused with her knife was still very visible. _He's a mess..._

  


She finally reached the group, and saw their eyes follow her. _Don't bother me, don't bother me..._

  


Her prayers were in vain, though. She suddenly felt a hand grab her arm. 

  


"I just remembered where I knew you from." Luke whispered, tightening his grip, "You're the girl from the alley. Where's your boyfriend?" 

  


"He's not my boyfriend, and you better get your hand off me before I'm forced to hurt you." Bronwyn growled, trying to pull away. 

  


"I don't think so. I never got to use you like I wanted to." Luke whispered, with a grin on his face. 

  


Bronwyn just smirked. "Did you completely forget about my power to kill all of you?" She started to raise her other hand toward her bangs. 

  


Luke let out a small laugh. "I bet that you faked that whole extra eye thingy. If it's real, then prove it." 

  


Bronwyn was tempted, but as she glanced around, she knew that she couldn't. _So many people to witness it, before it was different, everyone probably just thought that they were crazy, but now..._

  


"You're right. I did fake it. But I can still hurt you." She growled, using her free hand to yank her knife out of her pocket. She let it hover over his arm. "Now let go." 

  


Luke slowly loosened his grip, a slight smile resting on his face. Bronwyn was able to pull her arm away, and started to back up slowly, still grasping the knife. 

  


Suddenly, she felt the floor slip out from under her. She fell backwards, hitting the floor hard. Grimacing, she slapped herself mentally. 

  


_Why was I stupid enough to fall for that same tripping trick again? What am I, four?!?!_

  


She felt the knife wrenched from her hands. 

  


"Looks like you've lost your knife. And without your boyfriend to protect you, I can pretty much do whatever I want with you." Luke oozed. 

  


"ARE YOU DEAF??" Bronwyn screamed, jumping up from the ground. "HIEI IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND!!!" Not knowing what else to do, she started running down the path that was unfamiliar to her. Looking back over her shoulder, she could see Luke's gang running after her. 

  


_Where the heck is Kurama????_

  


_******************************************************************************_

  


"Kurama, I've already told you. I have no need for new clothes." Hiei snarled as he wandered aimlessly around the clothing racks.

  


Kurama sighed, wondering why Hiei had to be so stubborn all the time. "I just thought that you might want a change." 

  


"Well, I don't." Hiei muttered, leaning against the large glass window. 

  


The conversation halted momentarily, but Kurama was wondering about the answer to a certain question he wanted to ask Hiei...

  


"If you don't mind me asking, Hiei, what exactly _did _you and Bronwyn end up doing in that basement last night before the fire?" 

  


Hiei didn't answer. 

  


"Well, I mean, if it was meant to be private, then...." 

  


Hiei cocked his head to glare at Kurama angrily. "That better of been a joke, Kurama." 

  


"Of course." Kurama said, although smiling. He had noticed that every time someone mentioned Bronwyn's name, Hiei acted a little more nervous and uptight. _Like he's trying to hide something..._

  


"Hiei, do you find Bronwyn attractive?" 

  


"Uh....well...."

  


"Do you like her as a person?" 

  


"I...guess...so..."

  


"Why are you acting so nervous?" 

  


"WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME THESE QUESTIONS??" 

  


"No reason." Kurama decided to drop the subject. 

"This is a waste of time. I'll be outside the store." Hiei exited before Kurama could say anything else to him. 

  


Leaning against the side wall, he watched people as they went past, since he had nothing better to do. His mind on the other hand, was in overdrive about Kurama's questions. _Why is Kurama so interested in my feelings? Yes, I do think she's attractive, and yes, I do like her as a person, does that answer his idiotic questions?_

  


"Excuse me, pardon me, coming through, please move!!" 

  


_Oh great, now I'm hearing her voice in my head....Hey, wait a minute...._

  


Bronwyn's voice was getting louder every second. "I need to get through, oh what the heck, JUST MOVE!!" 

  


He finally caught sight of her, looking very upset about something. She was running, and was so distraught, that she sprinted past without even noticing him. _Where's she going? _

  


"Can't you go any faster, guys?" An angry male voice growled not far away. Hiei watched as a group of four guys passed him also. He was about to dismiss it as nothing, until he got sight of the tallest guy's face...

  


*****************

_"And what are you going to do about it, shorty?"_

*****************

  


_Hmm........._

  


*****************************************************************************

  


Kurama finally exited the store, busy looking at his receipt. "Hiei, I..." He said, looking up for the first time. 

  


He glanced around a few times. "Hiei?" 

  


But Hiei was gone.

  


_I wonder where he went...._

  


****************************************************************************** 

  


_Now what do I do? I can't leave, they still have my knife, but I can't go back either, or....Ew, I don't even want to think about it. _

  


Bronwyn hurriedly sprinted up the stairway leading to the second floor of the mall, panting wildly. _Isn't there like...a police officer or someone I can find who will help me?!?!?!_

  


Finally reaching the top, she peeked over the railing and spotted Luke and his gang running up the stairs also, looking wildly around for her. 

  


Groaning, she prepared to start running again. _I need some kind of miracle...._

  


Right before she was going to start off, she glanced back at the gang, suspecting to see them reaching the top stair, but to her surprise, they had stopped, and were now staring at something higher up on the stairs. 

  


Rising her gaze, she got a big shock...

  


_HIEI?!?!? What the heck...what is he doing here?? _

  


"I think you need to turn around." He growled. 

  


"Uh...sure..." Luke cowered, stammering. His gang was still scared of Hiei after seeing his fighting skills. "We weren't planning on bothering your girlfriend at all..." 

  


"AARGH!!" Bronwyn screamed, appearing behind Hiei. "HE IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND!! GIVE ME MY KNIFE BACK!!" 

  


"Sure, whatever you say." Luke whispered, still glancing nervously at Hiei. He yanked it out of his pocket and placed it into Bronwyn's open hand. The group then turned and started scurrying down the stairs. 

  


Bronwyn sighed happily, sliding the knife back into her pocket. "I guess you deserve a thank-you. Again." 

  


Hiei just looked away. "Why do they think I'm your boyfriend?" 

  


Bronwyn stared at him blankly for a moment, and then began to bang her head against the stair railing. 

  


"I...don't....believe...this..." 

  


******************************************************************************

  


"Do you even know where you're going?" 

  


"Yes." 

  


"You're lost, admit it."

  


"I'm not lost." 

  


"Why are you so stubborn? You have absolutely no idea where we are." 

  


"I do too." 

  


"NO, YOU DON'T!!" 

  


"YES, I DO!!" 

  


Bronwyn and Hiei had been arguing for the past fifteen minutes about which way the store that Hiei had left Kurama at was, since Hiei's memory seemed to be failing him. 

  


"Are you sure it wasn't the other way?" 

  


Hiei decided at this point just to ignore her. _Ningens. They think they know everything. _

  


"Why am I even following you?" Bronwyn asked angrily. "You don't have the slightest clue." 

  


"Would you rather go off by yourself and meet those humans again?" 

  


That shut Bronwyn up pretty fast. Hmphing, she turned her head away from him. 

  


******************************************************************************

  


Meanwhile, on the second floor....

  


"Senkichi, we're going to get in big trouble for this!!" A blond haired girl whined as she watched her friend lug two big red water balloons over to the railing. 

  


"But won't it be fun? All we have to do is drop them on some people, and then run. No one will even know it was us." Senkichi squealed. "Stop being a baby, Mika!" 

  


Mika sighed and then peered down the long walkway to check to see if anyone was coming. To her horror, a middle aged woman was scurrying towards them, talking to someone angrily on her cellphone. 

  


"Someone's coming, someone's coming!!" Mika hurriedly whispered. Senkichi shoved the water balloons against the metal railing and then he and Mika positioned themselves in front so as to conceal them. 

  


As the woman passed, they both smiled, trying to look as innocent as possible. She glanced at them for a fleeting second, and then went right back to her conversation. 

  


Senkichi and Mika watched until she was out of sight, and then both jumped up. "We're going to get caught!" Mika screamed, looking like she might burst out in tears any second. 

  


"If you're my friend, then you are going to drop a water balloon." Senkichi growled, staring intently at Mika. 

  


Mika gulped and then picked up one of the two water balloons, clutching it tightly. "So who do you want to drop them on?" She whispered. 

  


Senkichi peeked over the stair railing and began to search for some good suspects...

  


"Hey, what about them?" He said, pointing down to the first floor. Mika joined him at the railing. 

  


"Ooh, that girl is really pretty..." 

  


"Yeah, well, I like that guy!! His hair is so cool!! I wish my hair would do that!!" Senkichi squealed, running his hand through his limp brown hair. 

  


They studied the pair for a few more moments. They were approaching the overhead walkway that Senkichi and Mika were on. 

  


"They look angry at each other. They're not talking." Mika stated. 

  


"Maybe they're on a date and got into a fight." 

  


"Maybe they're brother and sister and don't like each other and their mom is making them walk together." 

  


"Maybe the guy is evil and he's keeping the girl prisoner." 

  


They both stopped their flow of ideas for a moment to look at each other. 

  


Senkichi grinned. "I bet a water balloon attack would make them feel better." He picked up his water balloon and let it hover over the railing. "I'll drop mine on the guy. You can drop yours on the girl." 

  


Mika was still a little reluctant, but picked up her water balloon anyways and joined Senkichi, smiling weakly. 

  


"Now we wait...." 

  


******************************************************************************

  


_Okay, he is the most stubborn creature on this planet, hands down._

  


Bronwyn felt like giving Hiei a piece of her mind, but decided against it as she glanced at his disgruntled look. Now, with nothing else to do, she began to run her fingers through her hair tensely.

  


They had just passed under the overhead stairwell, when a loud scream echoed throughout the mall. 

  


"GERONIMO!!" 

  


Before anyone could react, a water balloon slammed to the ground right in front of Hiei, exploding with a burst of water. 

  


As Bronwyn stared at Hiei, who was drenched, she began to let out small fits of laughter.. Suddenly, another water balloon exploded right in front of her, soaking her clothes throughly.

  


"OKAY, WHO WAS THAT???" She said. It wasn't funny now that it had happened to her. She glanced angrily up to the second floor where she saw for a split second two pairs of eyes before they disappeared out of view. 

  


"YOU BETTER GET BACK HERE!!!" She cried, attempting to move forward, but accidentally stepped on a shred of torn water balloon, causing her to stumble backwards into Hiei. 

  


Hiei, meanwhile, instinctively tried to catch her, causing both of them to collapse onto the floor...

  


******************

  


"C'mon Senkichi, let's go!! That girl looked really mad!!" Mika cried, periodically glancing down the stairway as Senkichi peered eagerly over the railing. 

  


"I don't think she's mad anymore. She looks sort of happy." He stated, watching the scene that was unfolding. 

  


"Well, what's happening?" Mika asked, curiosity tugging gently at her mind. 

  


"Well, the boy and the girl are on the floor. The girl is on top of the boy." 

  


"Why?" 

  


"How should I know?" Senkichi sneered, turning his attention away from the pair to give Mika an angry look. He then turned back...

  


"They're both laughing!" Senkichi stated, looking very surprised. 

  


"So the girl doesn't want to hurt us anymore?" Mika asked timidly, remembering how angry the girl had looked. 

  
  


"I don't think so." 

  


A small moment of silence ensued between the two children. 

  


"Is she getting off the boy?" 

  


"No." 

  


"Who'd want to lay on a _boy? EWW!!!" _

  


"Mika, shut up!" Senkichi watched the two people with great interest. They weren't laughing anymore, but both still looked happy. 

  


"They look like they're going to kiss." Senkichi whispered, making a gross face. 

  


"LET ME SEE!!" Mika screamed, running up to the railing excitedly. 

  


******************

  


"That was fun." Bronwyn whispered, lifting her head off of Hiei's wet shoulder. She shook her head violently, causing a spray of water droplets to go flying in all directions. 

  


"Oh, am I hurting you?" She asked suddenly, noticing that she was still on top of Hiei. 

  


"No." 

  


"Sure?" 

  


"Yes." 

  


It seemed like all of the laughter and talking around the two seemed to dissipate, and now everything was eerily quiet. 

  


_Something...weird....is...happening...to....me...._

  


She and Hiei's faces were only inches away...

  


_Okay, this is way too close...._But she couldn't stop herself from lowering her head closer to his...

  


"Hiei? Bronwyn?" 

  


Kurama's voice produced a large jolt in Bronwyn's system, causing her to jump off of Hiei immediately. 

  


Kurama appeared in front of them, a quizzical look on his face, as he looked both of them up and down. "What happened?" 

  


Bronwyn was so flustered that it all came out in a blur.

"WellHieiwaslostandsowhenwewalkedunderthestairwellsomekidsdroppedwaterballoonsonusandIendedupfallingintoHieiandwebothfellontothefloor."

  


Kurama stared at her blankly. "What?" 

  


Bronwyn sighed heavily. "Here, I'm going to go back to your house. Which way is the exit?" 

  


Kurama lifted his right hand and pointed to the south walkway. Bronwyn nodded slightly and began to walk away, taking one last nervous glance back at Hiei. 

  


_That was REALLY weird..._

  


Kurama turned to Hiei, who was struggling to wring water out of his cloak. "Can you be so kind as to tell me what happened?" 

  


Hiei didn't answer. He had also noticed how close he and Bronwyn had gotten. It had seemed like they were about to...He shook his head. 

"Nothing of importance." He sneered. 

  


******************************************************************************

Author:

  


Who knows what could of happened if Kurama hadn't shown up? :)

  


But anyways, the next chapter will probably be pretty short, since it's just a funny little thing I thought of. 

  


ReViEwS!!

  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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	12. Chapter Eleven: Hiei's Humorous Accident

*Pouting* I leave for Las Vegas tomorrow, my suitcase is packed, I have my Harry Potter: Order of The Phoenix on my dresser, ready for me to read. So I will not be doing anything here unless for some miraculous reason there's a computer with internet access in our hotel room. *Snorts* That's likely... 

  


This chapter is really just making the transition to Friday (AKA the good part), so it's really just a funny chapter, and NOT serious at all...well, okay, maybe a little...it's just a cute little accident I thought up...

  


I guarantee that at the end, though, you will either be laughing, or you will be saying "Poor Hiei!!" Or both. 

  


Disclaimer: I do own Yu Yu Hakusho. I do own Bronwyn, who is the only original character in this chapter. 

  


******************************************************************************

  


*Thursday* 

  


"I don't know why I spend so much time here. Nothing of excitement ever happens." Hiei whispered, lounging on Kurama's couch while Kurama was reading a novel he had just bought. 

  


"I haven't the faintest idea." He said, too engrossed in his book to really listen to what Hiei was saying. 

  


The late afternoon was quickly turning into evening, the setting sun casting shadows along the walls of the living room. Kurama instinctively reached over and flicked the switch on a side table lamp, causing a low warm light to illuminate the immediate area around him. 

  


The two demons sat in silence for a few minutes, not doing much in particular. Kurama sighed, mumuring about how he had something to take care of, and started to close his book. He suddenly stopped, and glanced around for a moment, acting like he was looking for something. Apparently not finding it, he turned to Hiei. 

  


"I have a bookmark in my room. Think you could get it?" 

  


Hiei smirked, standing up. "Nothing better to do." 

  


He had just started to climb the stairs when he heard Kurama's voice. "Remember to knock. You know that Bronwyn is staying in there." 

  


"Hn." he replied. 

  


He quickly made his way up the stairs, but slowed his pace when he reached the top, walking slowly down the dimly lit hallway. As he passed the bathroom door, he could hear the sound of rushing water. _She must be taking a shower. _

  


Knowing that it was pointless to knock, he gripped the door handle tightly and twisted it, pushing the door open, a loud creak echoing. As he stepped in, he closed the door behind him. 

  


He glanced around, acting as though he suspected the bookmark to be handed to him. Seeing that it wasn't in his area of vision, he started to rummage through Kurama's many papers that were scattered on his desk, grumbling about how he was nothing more than a servant (Even though he knew that he had volunteered). 

  


He was too intent in his search to even notice that the water had suddenly stopped in the bathroom, and now there was only silence.

  


He finally discovered the strange piece of paper that had the word "bookmark" printed in small letters across it under a loose piece of notebook paper. Letting it rest in the palm of his hand, he wondered why humans used such idiotic devices. He slowly began to move towards the bedroom door. 

  


But just as he reached for the golden doorknob, it began to jiggle, and he heard Bronwyn's light voice, as she hummed some strange tune. 

  


Panicking, he sprinted hurriedly over to the window and tried to lift it. _Damn, it's locked!! _

  


He glanced back at the door to see it opening slowly. With no time to do anything else, he dived under the bed. 

  


And not a moment too soon, for as he turned himself around to glance out from under his hiding place, he watched two moist feet walk gently across the room, dripping water droplets every step. 

  


He watched the feet move from the other side of the room, to the bed, where Bronwyn sat, letting her feet dangle right in front of Hiei's face. He scooted back slightly, so as to make sure that her feet wouldn't hit him by mistake. 

  


She kept humming a melody that Hiei had never heard before, and she swung her feet back and forth. 

  


Hiei groaned silently, not seeing a way he could get out without her noticing. The bed was located right beside the door, so if he made a move, she would without a doubt hear some kind of noise. 

  


She abruptly stood up, and moved to the far side of the room slowly, taking long strides. Hiei, out of curiosity, inched a little bit farther up, peering out from under the bed, and could see Bronwyn standing in front of the mirror, a pink towel wrapped around her sleek figure, trying to work a comb through her tangled hair.

  


He also noticed that her attention was completely on her reflection, groaning as the comb stuck on a knot in her hair. 

  


_I just have to get out the door...she'll never notice..._

  


He inched over to the side of the bed, and prepared to dash for the door. 

Sprinting madly, he had almost touched the doorknob, when his foot caught on a scrunched up spot in the carpet, causing him to fall to the floor with a loud _thud! _

  


Bronwyn spun around wildly, only to see Hiei sprawled out on the floor...

  


******************************************************************************

  


Kurama, who had started to read his novel once again when Hiei had left to fetch his bookmark, was starting to fall asleep when an ear-shattering scream filled his ears, causing him to jump up in alarm. 

  


This scream was followed with many more just like it, though now he could clearly hear "OUT, OUT, OUT!! GET OUT!!!" OUT NOW, YOU PERVERT!!!" 

  


After many screams, Hiei finally came stumbling down the stairs, clutching his knee tightly. Kurama watched curiously as he collapsed onto the couch. __

  


"What the heck happened?" 

  


Hiei didn't answer for a moment, taking a deep breath. "She can kick pretty hard." He whispered finally. 

  


"She hit you?!?!" 

  


"Kicked me six times." 

  


Kurama was trying to keep a straight face, even though it was getting difficult. He felt like bursting out in laughter. 

  


They both suddenly heard a door slam upstairs, and then loud stomping across the hallway. The stomping started to move down the stairs. 

  


Bronwyn appeared in the living room, now fully clothed, wringing out her damp hair. She glared venomously at Hiei. 

  


Hiei jumped off the couch pretty quickly and started to move towards the front door. "Good-bye." He stated before disappearing out into the night. 

  


Kurama couldn't help himself anymore. He started to let out small breaths of laughter. Bronwyn turned to look at him with an angry expression. 

  


"Do you think this was funny?" She growled. 

  


Kurama couldn't help but nod. 

  


"I was....and he...and...okay, so it was a little funny...but that still doesn't give you the right to laugh!" Bronwyn stated, feeling her cheeks getting red. 

  


"Sorry." Kurama whispered, though still smiling. "But don't be mad at him. I sent him up there in the first place." 

  


"WHAT?? KURAMA!!" 

  


******************************************************************************

  


Author: I feel pretty bad for Hiei. The poor thing, he was just in the right place at the wrong time. 

  


I know that this chapter was REALLY short compared to my other chapters, but the next one will be REALLY long. 

  


But since I'm feeling in a particularly evil mood today, I've decided to give you some highlights of the next chapter, so you can get riled up for the next chapter, being released in July:

  


•Zink actually comes out into the real world! You also finally get to know what he looks like (If you're interested). 

  


•A character experiences an emotion they haven't in a LONG time. This emotion is happiness. 

  


•Zink's original threat (The whole sister-murdering vision thing) Is unfulfilled, and a new ultimatum is given.

  
  


Do I have to say this again? REVIEW!!! 

  
  
  
  
  
  



	13. Chapter Twelve: WHAT JUST HAPPENED!

I had a lovely time in Las Vegas, if any of you were wondering. But you're probably not interested in that...

  


God, it seems like I've been gone forever, I had 35 reviews to read, which was very exhausting, but SO MUCH FUN!!! Except for the one mysterious person who told me that Bronwyn was an annoying mary-sue *makes pouty face* That one kind of brought my spirits down, but that's not the point. 

  


I've been wondering this ever since I started this story and would love it if you would please tell me...

  


Do any of you (Besides that one person, I already know your opinion) that Bronwyn is a mary-sue? Because I read that story "What is she?" About mary-sues and she really didn't match any of the characteristics because 1. She's NEVER known any of the characters or is related to them in any way, 2. She's not stunningly beautiful (But not ugly either), and 3. She's not anywhere CLOSE to being as strong as any of the members on the team. So there. 

  


ANOTHER POINT I'D LIKE TO ADDRESS is my requests for a very detailed kissing scene. Now, I've never kissed a boy before, so I really don't know what it feels like, but I tried my best (As you will see in this chapter, hehehe), but anyway, the first kiss isn't really supposed to be detailed, it's more of a....*surprise*

  


I probably got you really interested with that comment, didn't I? 

  


Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of the characters. I do own Bronwyn and Zink and his servants. 

  


******************************************************************************

  


*Friday* 

  


_Today's the day. _

  


_My hands are shaking. I feel like I'm going to throw up. But there's nothing I can do about it. _

  


_ Okay, so I'm still a little ticked at him for yesterday, but I get over those things quickly. _

  


_He's rescued me twice, saved my life once, and what do I do? I kill him. Life's fair, isn't it?_

  


_It's out of my hands. I have to do this. There's no other choice...is there?_

  


_******************************************************************************_

  


_I want it to gleam..._

  


Bronwyn ran the damp washcloth over her knife, ridding it off all smudges. When she was satisfied with her cleaning job, she held it up, letting the sun bounce off its surface. 

  


_It'll be covered in blood soon...oh god...._

  


A knock at the bedroom door caused Bronwyn to snap out of her thoughts. "Uh, come in!!" She whispered nervously, hastily stuffing the knife in her pocket. 

  


The door opened slowly, and Kurama walked in, followed by Hiei. 

  


"I'd...we'd..." Kurama started, gesturing to Hiei, "Would like to apologize for last night." 

  


Hiei looked away, wondering why _he'd _had to come. _Kurama could of apologized for both of us on his own..._

  


Kurama nudged Hiei gently. "Are you going to say anything?" 

  


"No. I don't need to apologize." 

  


"Hiei..." Kurama started, a warning tone in his voice. 

  


"It's fine. I'm already over it." Bronwyn interrupted him briskly. 

  


"Well, okay, I guess that was it." Kurama said as he and Hiei started out the door. 

  


_Now or never..._

  


"Wait!" Bronwyn screamed, causing both of them to turn back around. "Uh...Hiei, could I...talk to you for a moment? Alone?" She stammered, clearly nervous. 

  


Hiei and Kurama shared confused glances, but then Kurama nodded, and left, closing the door behind him softly. 

  


"What do you want?" Hiei smirked, moving over to the window. 

  


"Well...I...uh..." _Stop trying to start a conversation and just do it!! _

  


"What?" He asked again, more eager though.

  


"Nothing really, it's just..." She looked up from the floor, where her eyes had been for quite some time, to him, and noticed that his back was facing her as he stared out the window, not really looking at anything in particular. 

  


_Okay, now just move forward...he doesn't even notice you...._

  


Pulling her legs up onto the bed, she crawled slowly over to the end, moving her hand back to her pocket. 

  


"You're wasting my time. What do you want?" Hiei was starting to get irritated. 

  


"Just...give me a minute." She whispered, finally grasping the handle of the knife. Pulling it out slowly, she tried to not make too much noise. Her hands were sweating so much that it was difficult to keep a tight hold on. 

  


_Okay, now just lean forward, and...._

  


She slowly began to move her arm forward. 

  


_Now!!_

  


Hiei suddenly flinched, acting as if he was about to turn around, which caused a low cry of alarm to go off in Bronwyn's head. She backed up abruptly, but the knife accidentally slipped out of her hand, hitting the floor hard. 

  


_DAMN!!! _

  


Not really noticing anything else besides her own carelessness, she quickly hopped off the bed and outstretched her hand to grab it. 

  


Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed that another hand was trying to grab the knife also. She looked up slowly to see Hiei's curious face. Her hand gently brushed against his accidentally. 

  


"Sorry." She whispered, pulling her hand back immediately.

  


_Why is he staring at me? Probably wondering why I dropped a gleaming knife on the floor..._

  


Staring back at him curiously, she noticed something for the first time.... __

  


_His eyes....they're....nice...._

  


Feeling an overwhelming need to look at them better, she leaned closer to him, not even noticing what she was doing....

  


Meanwhile, Hiei wasn't really clear on what was going on either.

  


_Why is she staring at me? What's wrong?_

  


Back over in Bronwyn's head, she couldn't focus on anything else. The knife wasn't important or even remembered anymore. 

  


_They're more than nice...they're....beautiful....deep....._

  


She wasn't even an inch away from him this time....

  


Only one thought was resting in her mind. _I just want to...feel...._

  


She couldn't control herself any longer. She leaned the rest of the way in and....

  


Kissed him.

  


Part of Hiei's mind was screaming angrily at him to back away, but the other part was....actually enjoying it?!?!?

  


Meanwhile, Bronwyn forgot practically everything in those fifty seconds. That she was an assassin, that today was her deadline, that she was DEFINITELY not supposed to be doing this, that it was insane. She just felt....

  


Happy. For the first time practically in her entire life, she felt truly happy. 

  


Of course, when she broke away, this feeling was replaced with an angry voice in her head that was screaming...

  


_WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST DO?!?!?!_

  


And now another voice joined this screaming one, whispering urgently...

  


_Get out of there!! NOW!!!! _

  


"I...I..." She tried, but to no avail, to form a complete sentence, some kind of excuse for what had just happened. It was near impossible, though. 

  


With nothing else to do, she scrounged up the knife from its forgotten resting place, and now blushing deeply, jumped up and exited the room out the door, practically knocking down Kurama, who was leaning against the stair banister. 

  


"I'm leaving, and I probably won't come back." She whispered to Kurama, as she walked hurriedly past him. 

  


"Where are you..." He called after her, trying to find out her destination, but she was already out the front door. 

  


Now curious of what had happened, he entered his bedroom to see Hiei picking himself off of the floor. He noticed something peculiar, though. 

  


"Hiei, are you sick? Your face looks red." 

  


"NO." Hiei growled, looking away. 

  


"Wait a minute....are you...._blushing?_"

  


"NO." Hiei propped open the window and jumped to the ground outside before Kurama could ask him anything else. 

  


******************************************************************************

  


_I hate my life..._

  


Bronwyn leaned against the large oak tree gently, her arms resting limply on her knees. She let her eyes wander around the large green clearing in front of her. The high noon sun was filtering through the trees, making the blades glow. It was beautiful. 

  


She slowly raised her right hand and moved it to her pocket, pulling her knife out once again. She looked at the sharp silver blade closely, and gazed at her reflection in it, staring back at her, it seemed, angrily. 

  


She frowned, and threw the knife down in disgust, burying her face in her knees, vowing never to look at it again. 

  


But, of course, this vow was short-lived, and after only a few moments, she peeked up curiously again. 

  


She couldn't just discard the knife. It had been a present from Zink to her. __

  


_Zink. _The name brought so many lectures, threats, and assignments flowing back into her mind. One rule in particular was echoing loudly in her head, in the same smart-alec, know-it-all, voice he always spoke in...

  


_The most important rule in being an assassin is to NEVER develop any sort of feelings for your target. _

  


And she had broken it. It was as simple as that. 

  


She had been an assassin of demons since she was fifteen, and had never broken the rule before. But, of course, her assignments had always been located in the Makai World. Zink knew her great disliking for humans and their world, so he tried to locate her elsewhere.

  


She had killed more demons in those three years than she could count, and every kill felt exactly the same: No big deal. _But this one is different...._

  


_Hiei._

  


_He has a nice name._

  


_Why did Zink want him dead in the first place? Oh yeah, now I remember... _

  


_****************************************************************************** _

  


_"New assignment? What this time?" Bronwyn snarled angrily after Zink had informed her. _

  


_"Hiei, a fire demon." _

  


_"May I ask the reason of killing him?" _

  


_Zink stared at her like she was insane. "Every demon knows that he's a traitor. He's wanted dead by practically every resident of the Makai World that I know of. If I was the one to kill him, I'd be a hero!!" _

  


_"Thinking of your ego, like always." She sighed heavily. "Where is his location?" _

  


_Zink's happy expression turned abruptly into a frown. "Well, about that...it's in the human world." He winced. _

  


_"Then too bad, because I'm not taking it." _

  


_"But you have to take it!" _

  


_"NO, I DON'T!! I ALREADY TOLD YOU, I WILL NOT GO THERE AGAIN!!!" _

  


_Zink stared at her for another moment, and then a smile crept onto his face. "Fine. You don't have to take it." _

  


_"Good..." She whispered happily, even though slightly confused. Zink never gave up that easily. _

  


_As he walked away, though, her confusion seemed to evaporate into thin air. She was off to train once again...._

  


_******************************************************************************_

  


_Why didn't I suspect that he had something up his sleeve? Teleporting me there by force like that was just evil...._

  


_But anyways, this assignment is completely different. I feel....glad when he's around....I feel....happy....and that's a big deal...._

  


She opened her eyes, which had been closed for some time, again._ What has this whole thing gotten me? Nothing. Nothing expect feelings that I have no use for...that I don't want to have any use for....feelings that are going to get me into trouble with Zink....._

  


She sighed heavily. 

  


_I still hate my life. _

  


She suddenly heard a loud rustling behind her. As she jumped up nervously, she picked up her knife once again, thinking it was some kind of animal. But when the creature that was making the noise stumbled out into the clearing, Bronwyn dropped her knife in shock. 

  


"Z..Z...Zink?!?!" 

  


After finishing brushing the leaves and dirt off his cloak, he looked up at her with a half-smile. "I never liked forests." He joked. 

  


Whenever Zink had come to her in her dreams, Bronwyn had never been able to truly see him. He was usually always a black figure, his face always shrouded in the shadows. Now that he was in the sunlight, right in front of her, out in the open, he looked....strange. 

  


When she had first started her job, Bronwyn had always joked about how her boss was a human teenager, even though she clearly knew that he was an ancient demon. He was of medium height, and had a lean figure, covered by a black cloak, one that seemed to remind her of Hiei's, for some reason. His iridescent silver hair was hanging in front of his eyes, and he had to constantly brush the locks out of his view. His face was very young-looking, but what was strange was that he had beautiful deep blue eyes, that gave you chills when you looked into them, but they had absolutely no light, and usually made you feel scared or frightened, not happy or content, like when you looked into someone else's eyes. 

  


_Not like when you look into Hiei's eyes...._

  


Zink stared at her expectantly, as if waiting for something, and then glanced around eagerly. Apparently not finding what he was looking for, as you could tell by his disgruntled face, he glanced back at Bronwyn. 

  


"Well?" He asked in that cocky tone she had always hated, "Where is the body?" 

  


This statement brought Bronwyn back to the cold reality that her whole world was about to crash down on top of her. 

  


"Well, about that...." She started cautiously...I have to give up this assignment." 

  


Zink's disgruntled look quickly turned into an angry frown. "And why is that?" 

  


"Well...well...because I just have to give up this assignment, okay??!?" She winced, knowing what was coming next. "So, I guess you'll have to go through with your threat." She dropped the knife on the ground in front of her, and even though her stomach was in knots, she felt content about her choice. _It's not like I'm going to die for him, or anything like that. I'll learn to ignore the vision after a while, anyways. _

  


She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the impact of the murder, but to her surprise, nothing was happening. She opened one eye slowly, and glanced at Zink, who was, for some reason unknown to her, smiling. 

  


"You know, I probably would of still followed through on my original threat yesterday, or even this morning. But, as I realized on my way here, I'm expecting you to do this. It is now out of your hands. You WILL be completing this assignment." 

  


Before Bronwyn had time to analyze what Zink had just said, He outstretched his hand, which was holding a small pellet like object. 

  


"What is that?" She whispered nervously, beginning to back away slowly. 

  


"Simple. When I throw this onto the ground in front of you, it will release a sleeping gas that is nearly impossible to resist. So good-night for now." 

  


Bronwyn knew that she should start running, but it felt like her legs were glued to the dirt floor. 

  


Zink launched the pellet swiftly, and the moment it touched the ground, just inches from Bronwyn's feet, it seemed to explode, and a strange violet fog drifted up around her. 

  


She instinctively covered her nose and mouth, but it was already starting to take an effect on her body. She felt considerably weaker in those first few seconds. 

  


"Would you just give in? It would make my life a heck of a lot easier." Zink's irritated voice echoed in her ears loudly. 

  


_I...have...to...fight...it... _

  


Bronwyn was running out of breath rapidly, and finally was forced to allow her arm to leave her mouth, gasping for air, but she only inhaled a considerable amount of gas. Not being able to stand up anymore, she fell onto her knees, trying to stay awake. She lifted her head weakly and noticed three figures in front of her instead of two. Even though her vision becoming blurry, she recognized them immediately as Zink's servants. She watched helplessly as he extended his hand once more and handed one of them something. 

  


"Take this sleeping pellet and find Hiei. Make sure he doesn't notice you." He quickly had a short tutorial on how to throw the pellet, since his servants weren't the brightest of the bunch. 

  


Even though Bronwyn couldn't keep her eyes open any longer, she could still hear his loud voice. "When he's unconscious, bring him here. I'll take care of her." Heavy footsteps suddenly rushed past her limp body, and after a few seconds, she distinctively felt someone running their fingers through their hair.

  


"Oh, Bronwyn, why couldn't you have just done it the easy way? Oh well, it doesn't matter, you will get another chance." 

  


She couldn't stay conscious any longer. She drifted off to sleep, still feeling Zink's fingers on her scalp...

  


******************************************************************************

  


At first, Bronwyn could only see bright flashing colors dancing wildly in front of her eyes as they opened slowly. But, after a few more seconds, her vision cleared enough so she could see Zink's lean figure stranding at her feet, staring at her face expectantly, with a slight frown on his lips. 

  


However, when he noticed that Bronwyn was staring right back at him, his frown curled up into a smirk. 

  


"Good, you're awake." He whispered happily as she pulled herself up to a sitting position. 

  


Even though her vision was still slightly blurry, Bronwyn glared angrily at Zink. "What the heck was th-" 

  


Zink's smirk grew as he watched her voice trail off into nothingness as she glanced to the right of her. 

  


Hiei's body lay next to her, motionless. 

  


She immediately thought the worst, but then noticed that his chest was slowly rising and falling. 

  


She turned her head to look back at Zink with a look of surprise on her face. She pointed to Hiei.

  


"Did you-" 

  


"Of course." Zink interrupted her briskly, now wearing a content smile, as if he had accomplished something phenomenal. "Sleeping gas is the only way to control demons like him." 

  


"But how? I mean, Hiei...How did you manage that?" 

  


"It's all in the element of surprise. Like I've told you before, the minute that pellet hits the ground near you, it's impossible to escape. Even the mighty King Yama can't fend off a gas like this." 

  


As Bronwyn slowly pulled herself off the dirt floor onto her still-wobbly legs, Zink thrust her knife fiercely into her hands. 

  


"We haven't got all day." He growled impatiently, shoving her roughly a few feet closer to Hiei. "Transform your knife." 

  


She obeyed, mostly because she couldn't think of anything else she could do, gripping the handle of her small knife tightly, causing it to take the form of a gleaming sword. 

  


"This is your last chance." Zink said menacingly. "Either you kill him..." He outstretched his arm and a large silver sword adorned with jewels materialized into his hand. 

  


"Or..."

  


Bronwyn winced as he swiped the sharp blade across her cheek, causing a red cut to appear. 

  


"I'll kill you." He said in a cheerful tone, pulling his sword back slowly. 

  


Gulping silently, Bronwyn slowly approached the still unconscious Hiei. Holding the sword out in front of her, she let it dangle over his chest. 

  


_So much for the "It's not like I'm going to die for him" bit. Okay, girl, you've got a choice to make..._

  


"I'm waiting..." Zink's voice echoed in her head. __

  


_And you better make it quick. _

  


_******************************************************************************_

  


MWAHAHAHAHA, Cliffhangers are FUN!!!

  


But do not despair, I'm practically done with the next chapter, so it should be out soon. I cried while writing it, because it is REALLY sad. Yes, I actually cried. 

  


It's also one of those chapters where you will stop, clasp a hand over your mouth, and say "OH MY GOSH!!!" In a happy voice.

  


Here's some *HiGhLiGhTs*

  


1. There's a swordfight. 

  


2. Someone is thought to be dead (But not who you're thinking)

  


3. AND, someone ALMOST, keyword, ALMOST confesses their feelings for someone else. (That's one of those "OH MY GOSH" parts) __

  


I'm gonna need some reviews before the next chapter, but I'm not forcing them. I'll post it when I'm through writing it. __


	14. Chapter Thirteen: A Seemingly Fatal Choi...

So who's ready to find out what happens? 

  


I'm warning you, you might want some tissues for the end, I cry every time I read this. I'm very sensitive.

*Starts to hit one's self in the head hard* How can I be so cruel to my characters? HOW?? HOW??

  


Disclaimer: What's the use? It's exactly the same as the last one. I do not own YYH and I Do own Bronwyn and Zink. Quite easy to understand.

  


******************************************************************************

  


*Chapter 13* 

  


The tip of Bronwyn's sword came to rest gently on Hiei's cloak, but it did not move from the spot. 

  


She listened to Zink's foot tapping impatiently on the dirt ground behind her clearly trying to indicate that he was wanting her choice NOW. 

  


_Why the heck am I just standing here not doing anything? I've been waiting for a chance to do this forever, and now here it is, all laid out for me...._

  


She sighed, though not loud enough to be conspicuous. 

  


_Then why don't I?!?!?!_

  


Fueled by her own anger, she lowered the sword without thinking, causing it to cut through Hiei's cloak. Realizing what she was doing just in time, she let out a small yelp of panic, pulling it back up, and was immediately disgusted with herself. 

  


_See, I'm a wimp! I didn't even hurt him and I'm already freaking out!! _

  


She took a deep breath. 

  


_And why do I feel like I'm going to cry? _

  


"Today, please!!" Zink cried, his anger rising considerably. 

  


Using all of her willpower to keep herself from punching Zink in the face hard, she began to let the sword wander around Hiei's face, trying to stall for as long as she could. 

  


_He looks so innocent...I...I_

  


_I can't. _

  


_I won't. _

  


"Are you going to do it or not?" Zink growled. 

  


_Swipe!!! _

  


He stumbled back a few feet, both hands pressed up to his neck, which was now bleeding. 

  


Bronwyn had spun around and slashed her sword across his neck. 

  


"You're going to pay for that." He whispered, anger growing brightly in his eyes. 

  


Bronwyn held her sword out in front of her defensively, but she watched as Zink's face softened from a look of burning hatred to a look of faint curiosity. 

  


"So this is your choice." He said sullenly. 

  


She nodded her head slowly, though still not letting her guard down. 

  


His lips parted into a smile. "In that case, I have an idea." 

  


She lowered her sword slightly. "I'm listening." 

  


He held up his own sword. "I propose a swordfight. Winner may leave freely. Loser dies." He said with a grin. 

  


Bronwyn knew why. Zink had taught her everything she knew about sword fighting and was much more skilled than she would ever be. 

  


_I can't possibly beat him..._

  


She then glanced over at Hiei, and an idea popped into her head. 

  


_The gas couldn't last much longer...if I could just hold Zink off long enough..._

  


She tightened her grip on the handle. "You're on." 

  


Zink smiled playfully at her, and nodded in silent agreement. He raised his sword and lunged swiftly at her. 

  


Bronwyn held up her sword to block, and they clashed for the first time....

  


*****************************************************************************

  


_What happened?_

  


The last thing Hiei could remember was a strange purple gas floating in the air all around him, enveloping him, choking him...

  


But his thoughts about the strange gas evaporated just like it had when he noticed the two people fighting in front of him. 

  


He immediately recognized Bronwyn, as she ducked under a sword swipe from the other person, someone who Hiei had never seen before. 

  


Even though he had no idea what was going on, he watched the two of them fight mercilessly, both apparently having not noticed that he had awoken...

  


******************************************************************************

  


"Mind...if...ask...a...question?" Zink whispered in hurried breaths in between the swings of his sword. 

  


"If...you...must." Bronwyn whispered back, dodging a sharp swing that instead connected with air. 

  


"Why...would...you...rather...die...than...kill...him?" 

  


There was a long period of silence between the two, except for the constant clanging of the two swords. Bronwyn furiously tried to keep her eyes on Zink's sword instead of on his eyes.

  


"What's...the...matter? Cat...got...your...tongue?" 

  


"No...it's...just...nothing,except...I...broke...a...rule." 

  


"Which...rule?" 

  


"You...know,..._that..._rule." 

  


It felt very odd to Bronwyn that she was having this conversation with someone who was, at this very moment, trying to kill her. 

  


Zink thought in silence for a moment, though still not letting up with his strikes, and then a look of realization formed on his face. 

  


"You...mean..." 

  


"Yes." 

  


Even though he didn't say anything more, his look of pure astonishment clearly explained that this had never happened before. After a few seconds, however, this look was replaced with a smirk. 

  


"I...thought...you...abandoned...your...human...feelings...years...ago." 

  


There was another moment of silence, the air filled only with the clangs of metal. 

  


"I...thought...I...did...too,...but...maybe...I...could...care...about...someone...again...after...all..." 

  


Bronwyn surprised even herself with this statement, but knew that she couldn't take it back. 

  


Because it was true. 

  


"I'm...sorry...to...hear...that." Zink said sullenly, "You...could...of...been...someone...great. You...heard...what...I...said...about...how...everyone...wants...him...dead. If...you...were...the...one...to...kill...him, you'd...be...famous." 

  


"If...that's...what...it...takes...to...be...famous...then...I...don't...want...any...part...of...it!!" She screamd angrily, and lashed her sword out so violently that Zink just narrowly dodged it. 

  


He immediately ceased his attacks and backed away, the look of astonishment having returned to his face. 

  


"You are not the same Bronwyn that I knew three weeks ago. The Bronwyn I knew would give up anything, ANYTHING to be known, to be a legend among demons!" 

  


Drawing her sword back also, she stared at the ground. "Well, maybe not anything..." 

  


"I don't believe it. You, of all people. Don't say that you're going to give up that for him?" 

  


"That's exactly what I'm saying. Something wrong?" 

  


"Heck, something's wrong! He's just a stupid demon!!"

  


Zink found himself staring at the sharp tip of Bronwyn's sword. 

  


"Don't insult him." She growled. 

  


"And why do you care if I insult him or not?" 

  


"Well, because...I...It's kind of hard for you understand." She said quietly, backing away a few steps. 

  


"Why is that?"

  


"YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND." 

  


"Aw, is Bronwyn afraid?" 

  


"NO....You just don't know how strongly I feel about him!!!" 

  


There was a sudden awkward silence, with Zink staring at Bronwyn with a very surprised look, and the realization of what she had just said was sinking in fast. 

  


"And out of curiosity, what kind of feelings would those be?" Zink asked, his eyebrows raised. 

  


"Uh...that came out REALLY wrong...I didn't mean...what I meant to say...I don't feel anything like _that..._I just...oh...um..." She stuttered , her face a light red color.

  


Zink just stared at her for a few more moments, and then began to walk slowly around her, as if he was surveying. 

  


"You know, when you first said you had broken my rule, I thought you had meant that you felt like he was too good a friend or something like that, but now...hmm..." 

  


"It's not like that!" She cried, clearly upset. 

  


Zink stopped his slow pace right in front of her. 

  


"Whatever you say." He said with a playful tone. He held up his sword once again, which had been loosely gripped for quite a while. 

  


"So you're going to stick with this choice still?" He said quietly, looking over the sword carefully. 

  


"Yes." She whispered, holding up her sword also, bracing herself for another swipe. 

  


Zink took his eyes off his sword for a moment to glance at Bronwyn's fighting stance as she awaited his attack. He grinned.

"I hope you know that you just made the worst choice of your life. And, unfortunately, the last choice that you'll ever make." 

  


Before Bronwyn had time to comprehend this statement, a lightning-quick swipe from Zink's sword knocked her own out of her hands, sending it clattering across the ground. 

  


Her attention on the fallen weapon, Bronwyn didn't even notice that Zink had pulled his sword back, in a way where it looked like he was going to launch the point at her, until it sliced through her chest. 

  


Now all she could think about was the excruciating pain searing through her body. 

As Zink pulled the blade back out of her body and looked it over, coated in blood, he smirked. 

  


"Won't be long now." 

  


She collapsed to her knees and lifted her hand to the heavily bleeding wound, feeling it carefully. She then lifted her hand up to her face and stared at it in disbelief, covered in deep red blood. It was getting increasingly difficult to breathe, to even think. 

  


She suddenly felt a sharp jab in her stomach, causing her to fall over backwards. Zink had kicked her. 

  


"I don't know why I ever made you an assassin in the first place. You're a weakling and you always will be." He sneered, kicking her again in the head, causing a low cry of hurt to escape her lips. 

  


There was only the low whispers of the wind and Bronwyn's raspy breaths for a few seconds, and with each moment that she remained with the living, Zink grew more and more angry. 

  


"Well, you know I'm not a patient demon, so why don't I save you from the prolonged agony and end this now?" 

  


Raising the sword above his head, he smiled cruelly. "I guess this is good-bye." 

  


And with a small chuckle, He then launched it downward, aiming for her neck. But then something strange happened. 

  


There was a bright flash of silver and a distinct clash of metal, causing Zink's sword to fly wildly into the air. 

  


As he watched it hurtle toward the trees, his mind was racking furiously. _What just happened? I could of sworn that I..._

  


But as he turned back around to face Bronwyn's body, everything suddenly became clear. His sword had clashed with someone else's sword. 

  


Hiei's sword. 

  


He was standing in front of Bronwyn protectively, a glint of contempt in his eyes. 

  


"I don't know who you are, but you better get away from her." He growled, holding the sword out in front of him, the tip of it pointing to Zink's head. 

  


"I'm not scared of you."Zink said quietly, even though his knees were shaking. 

  


"Don't...lie...Zink," Bronwyn's small voice whispered in between short breaths, "You...know...that...you're...afraid...of...Hiei. You...told...me...yourself." This was followed by a coughing fit. Her head slumped over to the ground. 

  


"You're just a lying bitch." Zink cursed angrily, starting to slightly back away. He glanced at Hiei again. 

  


"Couldn't we just talk this over?" He said in a slightly wavering tone. 

  


In a split-second, Hiei had Zink by the collar. 

  


"You won't be able to talk much longer." 

  


Zink, who was clearly panicking, looked over Hiei's shoulder and suddenly, a slight smirk formed on his face. 

  


"I guess it doesn't matter that you blocked that last strike." He said loudly, smiling smartly at Hiei. "She's not breathing." 

  


_What?_ Hiei turned his head to look at Bronwyn's body, and Zink was right. Her chest wasn't rising or falling anymore, her eyes closed tightly. 

  


_It couldn't...be...she can't be...dead..._

  


_Him..._Hiei felt his anger mounting considerably and turned his head to look back at Zink, but to his surprise, he was now only grasping air. Letting his fist unclench, he glanced around wildly, but Zink was gone. 

  


Suddenly, though, a voice that was unmistakably Zink's seemed to float into the clearing, as though it was part of the wind...

  


"You'll probably be seeing more of my assassins soon." He laughed quietly. "Have fun burying her body." 

  


And then it was gone. Just as strangely as it had arrived. 

  


Lowering his sword, Hiei sullenly slid it back into it's compartment and turned to Bronwyn's body. 

  


Carefully kneeling down beside her, he inspected her wound. It didn't matter that his hands were now covered in blood, he just wanted to find out if she was still alive. But as he placed a hand over her heart, he couldn't feel anything. He was going to have to face the realization that she was...was...

  


He couldn't accept it. She had died because of him. _Why? _

  


Still refusing to give up hope, he grabbed her wrist and began to search for a pulse. But after a few minutes of nothing but clammy skin and no beats, he started to realize that....

  


_Wait a second, what was that?? _He carefully moved his hand back to a certain spot and felt again and pushed his finger against it again. He felt a small wave of relief wash over him. 

  


_It's faint, but....she's still alive. Barely, though. She needs help. _

  


_Maybe Kurama can heal her...._

  


Trying to be as careful as possible, he lifted her body up off the ground, supporting her head, and began to walk slowly in the direction of Kurama's house. 

  


******************************************************************************

  


*Is crying* 

  


*blows nose loudly* 

  


How incredibly sad was that??? 

  


I feel...so...awful...

  


*sniffs* 

  


Okay, now that I've regained my composure, some of you are probably wondering why I didn't have Hiei kill Zink. 

  


Zink_ will _return in the sequel, but he might not actually appear, even though people talk about him, but he is a key part in it, so he needs to live. 

  


What's awaiting next chapter you ask? *silence* Okay, so maybe you don't ask, but I've become accustomed to doing this, so here it goes. 

  


1. Saying someone's name in one's sleep

  


2. Nadine, Bronwyn's twin sister, makes an appearance. Yes, I _know _she's dead...

  


3. AND TWO CONFESSIONS!!! To Kurama, for some unknown reason. 

  


REVIEWS!!!! 


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Dreams and Feelings

Hey, yall'. Sorry I haven't updated in a while, this chapter has been finished for a while, but for some weird reason, my computer wouldn't let me on ff.net!!!! 

  


Also, I made a mistake last chapter on the bottom thing. There's actually only one confession told to Kurama, not two. 

  


*evil smirk* Kurama acts very evil in this chapter....

  


*trumpets blare* This is the longest chapter I've ever written. 14 pages!!!!!!! 

  


Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of the characters featured in it. I do, however, own Bronwyn, Nadine, and Aiku (Who is mentioned once)

******************************************************************************

  


Hiei sat restlessly on the couch in Kurama's living room, staring blankly at the ivory-colored carpet, which was stained with spots of red, from where he had carried Bronwyn's body into the living room, still dripping blood. Kurama was now up in the bedroom, doing what he could to help her. 

  


He lifted his head to look at the wall, as if he expected it to give him the answers, the solutions, the explanations to everything that he had heard in the forest that day...

  


*****

  


_"Maybe I could care about someone after all..." _

  


_"It's just...you just don't know how strongly I feel about him!!" _

  


_*****_

  


He suddenly heard light footsteps moving slowly down the stairs, and when Kurama's shadow appeared on the wall, Hiei jumped up expectantly. 

  


When Kurama appeared in the living room, he glanced at Hiei, and sighed quietly. 

  


"I did everything I could, but there's still a chance that she might not..." 

  


His voice trailed off into silence. Hiei sank back into the couch. Kurama took a seat on the couch also. 

  


"It's the strangest thing though..." He whispered, shaking his head softly.

  


"What?" 

  


He turned to look at Hiei, wearing a confused expression, "I _know _that she's still unconscious, but I swear that I heard her say your name...once, in a scared voice...like she was worried about you...but I might just be imagining things..." 

  


He looked down at the ground and his eyes followed the blood spots to the door. "Maybe you should go up there..." 

  


Hiei took his eyes off the wall to look at Kurama for a moment. "Why? You said it yourself, she's not even conscious." 

  


"It would just be a kind gesture...Maybe she'll say your name again...then I'll know if I spent _way_ too much time up there..." He smiled slightly. 

  


Hiei didn't say anything more, but instead nodded slightly and left the couch, starting up the stairs slowly...

  


******************************************************************************

  


The bedroom was eerily quiet, the once-clean carpet now dotted with many dark red spots which led to the small bed. The once pure white sheets were now slightly stained with the color. Bronwyn's body lay still on the bed, her small raspy breaths echoing against the silence. 

  


Hiei sat down in the small wicker chair next to the bed, wondering what he was supposed to be doing up here. 

  


He sat restlessly in the chair for fifteen minutes, waiting for some kind of noise, movement, _anything..._but Bronwyn did not move or speak at all. 

  


Hiei began to doubt Kurama's hearing after another ten minutes had passed swiftly. _Must of just heard a bird or something..._

  


The wind rattled against the window slightly, causing Hiei to look up at the glass panes. He thought it was time to be leaving... 

  


_"...Hiei..."_

  


The word floated through the room softly and Hiei's eyes immediately flew from the window to Bronwyn. _What did she say?_

  


He watched as she began to move slowly, turning onto her side, even though he could see that it was causing her great pain.__

  


A small cry of sadness emitted from her mouth.

  


_What the...?_

  


He suddenly had the urge to take a look at what she was thinking about, to see what was so sad, to see why she was saying his name...

  


He slowly moved his hand forward and placed a finger on her forehead, closing his eyes...

  


****

  


_The sky was nearly pitch-black, the wind howling furiously down the beaten path that the two dark figures walked slowly on. The clouds clashed roughly, causing thunder to sound across the forest path, and the sky was occasionally brightened by the lightning that flashed periodically in the sky. _

  


_As the two people began to slow their pace, one looked up from the ground to the other person, who seemed to be crying. _

  


_"You know, it's not your fault that he was killed by that demon...Zink, was it??" Kurama whispered sullenly, slowing his pace, as did the other person. _

  


_The other figure did not answer for a moment, but instead sighed. " Zink, yes, and it's completely my fault. I didn't know that he could ambush like that." Bronwyn stopped to take a breath. _"_If you hadn't of came along, I would of died also." _

  


_Her tears, which had stopped momentarily, began to flow again. "I should of died with him..." _

  


"_Don't say that." Kurama said sternly. "Now, what happened again? Hiei couldn't of been killed that easily." _

  


_She looked up at Kurama with an angry expression shining through her tear-stained cheeks. "WHY do you keep making me relive this? I told you what happened!! I remember Zink calling me a bitch after I confessed that he was afraid of Hiei. Then, when Hiei grabbed Zink's collar and Zink said that I was dead, which I was not, Hiei turned his head and Zink stabbed him! THERE!!" _

  


_She stormed ahead a few feet on the path, but her anger subsided quickly, causing her to let Kurama catch up with her. _

  


_"And then I showed up, and I couldn't help Hiei, because Zink had stabbed him more than once, deep cuts." Kurama said plainly. _

  


_Bronwyn turned her head wildly to look at Kurama. "You never told me that before. You only said that he had been stabbed once." _

  


_Without waiting for him to answer, she breathed deeply. "Why didn't he make sure I was dead?? I SHOULD OF DIED ALSO!!" She screamed angrily._

  


_Kurama placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Calm down. We're here." _

  


_Bronwyn looked in front of her to see that they had reached a large clearing. She glanced around a few times, and then glanced at Kurama, confused. "Well, where is it?" _

  


_Kurama lifted a finger to point to a large spot underneath a large tree, where the area that should of been covered with green grass was instead brown dirt. _

  


_Bronwyn cautiously walked over to it, running her hands through her hair tensely, for some reason that she did not know. _

  


_Kurama watched from a distance as she just stared at the spot. The grave. He knew she felt so guilty that it was painful. She had explained to him that Hiei was the one who she had been sent to kill but it soon became impossible for her to hurt him. And he died anyways..._

  


_"I'm sorry for what happened." Bronwyn spoke to the grave, as if he could understand her, "I was the one sent to kill you. But I just couldn't do it." _

  


_Silence. _

  


_"You know, the honest, complete, absolute, truth is, that I never really hated you. Heck, I even might of...sort of...liked you. Okay, so I really liked you...Okay, so maybe...I...might...uh.."_

  


_****_

  


Hiei's viewing of the strange dream was suddenly interrupted by the abrupt warm feeling around his wrist. 

  


He opened his eyes immediately to see that Bronwyn's hand was tightly gripping it. She seemed to be a slight bit happier now, a small smile now replacing her troubled frown. Her hand carefully moved up from Hiei's wrist to his hand, and wrapped her fingers around his (All while asleep). The warmth of his hand seemed to comfort her. 

  


Hiei didn't really know what to do, if he should just let her hold his hand or if he should remove it. __

  


"What was she dreaming about?" Kurama's light voice came from the doorway. He leaned against the entryway casually, hands shoved into his pockets. He had a slight smirk on his face. 

  


"She thinks I'm dead...and feels sad." Hiei whispered, "She feels guilty." 

  


Kurama moved from the doorway to the bed, where he noticed Bronwyn's hold on Hiei's hand but did not mention it. "She should." 

  


"What?" 

  


"From what I gathered, she was sent here with one goal in mind: To kill you." 

  


"How would you know that?" 

  


"Well, this is just from what little bit she told me and what I've observed over the past three weeks." He said, his smile growing. 

  


"What did she tell you?" 

  


"Only that she was supposed to kill someone, but that she didn't know if she could do it anymore. Her world was becoming all jumbled up." 

  


"Why would she not be able to do it?" 

  


Kurama looked at Hiei with a surprised expression. "Hiei, don't be so dense."

  


Hiei growled and looked away. 

  


"She seems to be developing some strong feelings for you and killing you would just be painful now." 

  


"Hn." Hiei didn't know what else to say. There was silence for a moment, as Hiei was still trying to ignore Bronwyn's hand clutched around his own, even though it did feel very warm. 

  


"Did she ever show you?" Kurama's curious voice broke the silence finally. 

  


"Show me what?" 

  


"You know...her...eye." 

  


"What??" Hiei was beyond confused. 

  


Kurama's curious look turned into a surprised one. "She didn't?? Well, that explains why you don't really understand why she didn't want to kill you." 

  


He moved his hand forward slowly, finally coming to rest on her bangs. He carefully lifted them out of the way to reveal her jagan eye. 

  


"She..has..."

  


"A jagan eye, yes." Kurama said in a calm voice. 

  


More silence. Hiei couldn't help but stare at it. _Why didn't I notice? _

  


Kurama then let the bangs fall back down to cover the eye, and left the bedside, walking casually to the door. "Are you coming?" He asked as he reached for the door handle. 

  


Hiei was about to nod and get up also, but right before he was about to move, Bronwyn squeezed his hand slightly, as if trying to say "_don't leave..." _

  


"I..I think I'll stay."

  


Kurama smiled. "Suit yourself." He then opened the door and was half-way out when he turned his head back to Hiei, now wearing a grin.

  


"I'm suspecting that her hand is quite warm, since you haven't let go of it the whole time I've been in here." 

  


Hiei turned to the doorway with a look of hatred. "_Kurama..." _He growled angrily. __

  


But Kurama was already down the stairs, laughing quietly to himself. 

  


******************************************************************************

_"Bronwyn? Bronwyn, wake up!!!" The blond haired, blue eyed girl whined desperately as she shook Bronwyn's shoulders roughly. _

_Bronwyn's peaceful look was now replaced with an disturbed look as she raised her hand to wave the young girl away. "I'm trying to sleep, Nadine." She moaned, turning over. _

_But when she felt the word "Nadine" on her tongue, she suddenly realized that that was impossible. She sat up straight, staring wide-eyed at her deceased twin sister. _

_"You...You..." She choked, unable to speak another word. _

_Nadine held a comforting hand out. "Bronwyn..." _

_But the hand just seemed to convey more fear in her. She backed up against the wall, a look of horror on her face. "You...can't...be...here...you're...you're..." _

_"Dead?" Nadine said brightly, as if it didn't bother her at all. _

_Bronwyn nodded slightly, becoming less and less afraid with each passing second. _

_Nadine began to giggle at her nod, and pulled herself off the floor, staring at Bronwyn with a playful look. "Well, you would be right, but this is a dream. And in a dream, I can be here as long as I please." _

_"A dream..." Bronwyn said outloud faintly, also leaving the cold floor, and for the first time, glancing around her surroundings. _

_She seemed to be in a small cottage, the walls painted with a bright yellow color, adorned with pictures of beautiful meadows filled with flowers. The floor was covered with a ivory-colored carpet that was actually quite comfortable. _

_"Where is this?" _

_Nadine bowed her head. "Well, this was the house I always dreamed of living in when I left home..." She moved sullenly over to the window, and watched a robin fly by, chirping happily. This, though, just seemed to increase her sadness. Bronwyn joined her at the window. _

_"Nadine, I'm so sorry..." She embraced Nadine, something she had wanted to do for so long now. Nadine hugged her back, and it was a very sentimental moment. When they broke away, Nadine smiled weakly, even though it looked like she was trying to hold back tears. _

_"It's all right, I'm fine." Bronwyn smiled also. _

_"But, I'll be joining you soon, won't I? Zink injured me fatally." She said brightly. _

_"Well, actually, you're going to make a full recovery." Nadine whispered, leaving the window, heading towards the door. She motioned for Bronwyn to follow her._

_"That's just great..." She muttered under her breath. Nadine heard it perfectly, though. _

_"What's the matter? Don't you want to live?" She asked curiously, starting down a long hallway with Bronwyn close behind. _

_"Not really. There's nothing worth staying for. I'd rather be with you." She moaned, staring at the ground as she walked. _

_Nadine stared at her with a deep look in her eyes. She brought her gaze down to the ivory carpet. "Well, you actually do have a choice in this..."_

_"Come again?" _

_"You can die if that 's what you truly want." Nadine whispered, slowing down her pace. Bronwyn grinned happily. _

_"Well, that is what I want!!" _

_"No it's not. You don't want to die." Nadine muttered. "What about the people who care about you? Your friends?" _

_"I don't have any friends." _

_"Bronwyn!!" Nadine scolded. "Don't lie. You know that there are a great number of people who do care about you. Besides, when you're alive, I'm able to follow you, see what you see, feel what you feel." She abruptly stopped in front of a light pink door at the end of the hallway." _

_"I want to show you something." She whispered, in an embarrassed tone, gripping the door handle tightly, "But you must promise that you will not laugh." _

_Bronwyn wore a confused expression as Nadine opened the door slowly. "Why would I....OH MY GOD!!!" _

_The room's wall were plastered head-to-toe with pictures of Kurama. Nadine waltzed in happily and sat down in a chair in the corner. She flashed Bronwyn a warning look when she saw her open mouth. _

_"What the...you...okay, this is freaky..." She said, glancing around. _

_"What?" Nadine hissed. "Just because I'm dead doesn't mean I can't have a _

_ crush, does it?" _

_Bronwyn stared blankly at Nadine for a moment, and then collapsed onto the floor with peals of laughter. _

_"You promised you wouldn't laugh!!" Nadine squealed, looking like she might burst out in tears any moment. _

_Wiping her eyes, Bronwyn glanced up at Nadine. "You...like...Kurama?" _

_Nadine's furious look gave everything away. "IT'S NOT FUNNY!! And if you die I won't be able to see him anymore!!" _

_"I hope you know, Nadine, that it's going to take more than that to make me want to stay alive." Bronwyn choked between giggles. _

_"Fine, then..." She thought in silence for a moment, but then something else seemed to pop into her mind. _

_"You know," She said quietly, staring thoughtfully at Bronwyn with a slight smile on her face, "I thought that was quite noble of you." _

_"What?" _

_"What you did for that fire demon. It was something I never thought you would be capable of." _

_"A lot of good that did him...he died anyways..." _

_ Nadine's smile turned into an exasperated look. "For heaven's sake, he DID NOT DIE!!!" _

_Bronwyn turned to stare at Nadine wearing a look of surprise. _

_"What?" _

_"You fell unconscious before you saw what happened and had a dream that he was killed by Zink, when, in reality, he's fine!!!" _

_Bronwyn just stared at her for a moment. "Really?" _

_"Yes." _

_She sighed contentedly. "Well, that's good..." _

_"Actually, you've been saying his name in your sleep?" _

_"I HAVE???" _

_"And held his hand..." _

_"I DID??"_

_"And he didn't mind..." _

_"WHAT??" _

_"And he was actually the one who saved you. He carried you to Kurama's house." _

_"WHAT THE HECK..." _

_"What's the matter with you?? I know that you care deeply about him." _

_"I DO NOT." _

_"Do too."_

_"Do not." _

_"Do too." _

_"Do not."_

_"Do too." _

_"I...DO...NOT!!!!!!!" _

_"You can deny it all you want, but you still do..." _

_"NADINE!!!"_

_"You know, you make the cutest couple..." _

_"THAT'S ENOUGH!!!" _

_But Nadine was already riled up. "Bronwyn and Hiei. Your names even sound good together..." _

_"IF YOU WEREN'T ALREADY DEAD, I'D...." _

_"STOP IT, BRONWYN!!!" Nadine screamed. Bronwyn could never remember her screaming in her entire life. The room quickly became silent. Nadine took a deep breath. _

_"I'm your sister. If you can't tell me something, you can't tell anybody. Now confess...what is really going on in your heart??" _

_Bronwyn just stared at Nadine for a second, and then turned away from her. "I don't know...I feel...weird...." _

_Nadine came to sit down beside her. "Well, that's a start..." She said quietly. _

_"Let me ask you this...do you feel happy around him?" _

_"Yeah..." _

_"Do you feel....glad?" _

_"Yeah..." _

_"Do you feel..."_

_"What is this going to accomplish, Nadine?" Bronwyn snarled impatiently. Nadine gave her another scolding look. _

_"Work with me here. We are going to sort out your feelings, okay?"_

_"I DON'T HAVE FEELINGS!!!! I CAN'T...feel....anything...anymore...even if I wanted to....I can never care again...." _

_"And why not?" _

_"Because I'll get hurt again!" Bronwyn cried, burying her face in her knees, where she began to sob. "I can't take anymore of it. All guys are alike. They just want to use you for some reason or another and then they'll get rid of you." _

_Nadine stared at Bronwyn with an incredulous look on her face. "Where the heck did you get that idea?" _

_"Aiku." Bronwyn muttered. _

_"What happened with him?" _

_"He said that he loved me. But then, he started...hurting me...but he always said that he was sorry afterwards, and I believed him....and then, he tried to kill me..." _

_It was Nadine's turn to feel sorry. "You just need to move on, Bronwyn. Don't dwell on the past." _

_"But I can't! It will just happen again!!" _

_"How can you be so sure?" Nadine asked quietly. _

_Silence. Bronwyn lifted her head slowly to look at Nadine, her eyes filled with tears. _

_"Do you love him?" _

_"What???" Bronwyn choked, not really sure that her hearing was accurate. _

_"I said, do you love Hiei?" _

_More eery silence. Bronwyn thought about it carefully. Did she?? Could it even be possible?? Even though her head was saying "No, no, no, you can't feel that, it's not right, stop before something bad happens," There was something different going on in her heart. A small smooth voice that was telling her that it was okay, that she didn't have to be afraid.... _

_"Yes, I do." It just felt right. _

_Nadine mournful look quickly turned into a full fledged grin. "That's so wonderful!!!!" She hugged Bronwyn tightly, who was now smiling also. _

_"Thank-you. I needed that." Bronwyn whispered in her ear. _

_"Anytime, sis, anytime..." _

_***_

Bronwyn's eyes snapped open immediately. Even though it was very blurry and hard to see, she managed to sit up, even though it hurt so much that a small yelp escaped her lips. 

As she rubbed her eyes, she could finally see that she was back in her bedroom. Carefully lifting up her shirt, she ran her hand gently over the bandages. 

"Bronwyn? I didn't think you would wake up for another day or so." Kurama, who had been standing in the corner, whispered, as if speaking loudly would be painful to her. 

Bronwyn looked up at him, wide-eyed, noticing for the first time that he was there. "Kurama?" She stared at him blankly for a moment, and then began to giggle, suddenly remembering Nadine's crush on him. 

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing." She said, even though it just made her laugh more. 

After a few more minutes of uncontrollable laughter, she finally managed to settle down, but still wore a bright smile. 

"What are you so happy about??" Kurama asked cautiously. 

"You know, when you been hiding something like that for so long, it feels good to get it out into the open!!" She chirped, struggling to move her legs over to the side of the bed. 

"Hiding what?" 

"That I love-....nothing." Bronwyn hurriedly tried to correct herself, but Kurama was already smiling. 

"Who do you love??" He said, even though he already had a hunch.

"How do you know it's a "who?" Maybe...maybe it's a "what"......oh, fine, it is a "who"." She growled, angry at Kurama for intruding on her newly discovered feelings. 

"Tell me...."

"*Cough Hiei Cough*"

"What was that?"

"Hiei." She whispered so slightly that it almost wasn't there at all. 

"Still didn't hear it...." Kurama was clearly enjoying this. 

"IT'S HIEI, OKAY??? HIEI!!! WAS THAT CLEAR ENOUGH FOR YOU, BAKA!?!?!" Bronwyn even surprised herself by how loud she could scream. But it hadn't seemed to have even fazed Kurama in the slightest. He still wore a grin. 

"Hmm....Nice to see you admitting it." He laughed, holding out his hand for Bronwyn to grab, since she was still trying to pull herself off the bed. 

"If you ever breathe a word of what I just said to anyone, I swear I'll...." She snarled, grabbing his hand roughly. Kurama pulled her to her feet. 

"Don't worry." He whispered. His expression, though, turned to a curious one as he stared at Bronwyn's forehead. 

"Your jagan eye...it's...glowing." He whispered, pointing to her forehead, where a bright blue light was illuminating the area. "Why is that?" 

"I don't know....it only does that...when...." She glanced around suspiciously for a few seconds and then proceeded to slowly move over to the window. She pulled it open roughly and poked her head out, glancing around. 

"Who's out here??" She screamed angrily, still looking around furiously. 

The figure was so quick that Bronwyn almost didn't catch it. For a split second, she saw a black shadow in the tree next to the window. But it was gone before she could even get a good look at it. 

As she closed the window, she felt a sick twinge in her stomach.

_It couldn't of been....he couldn't of heard....that...._

_****_

_She loves me. _

_Hn. Feelings are for the weak. _

_But, If I'm succumbing to them, does that make me weak? _

_No. I will not fall prey to ningen emotions. _

_She loves me._

_That's impossible. No one could be capable of loving someone like me. _

_But, no matter how much I try to ignore it, she cares about me. _

_And no matter how much I try to deny it, I care about her. _

_She loves me. _

_There's no use in hiding it..._

_I feel the same way. _

_******************************************************************************_

Was it just me, or did Hiei seem slightly OOC on those inner thoughts???? I mean, that ending part. 

I think that unless I can write a REALLY good last chapter, this will be my favorite one. I swear, every time I read this over and get to the part where Nadine asks, "Do you love him?" I go crazy. __

So.....People are in tune with their emotions.....they know what they feel.....

Where do we go from here???????? 

You'll see in the last chapter of Miss Independent!!!

And if you haven't read my author's page, you wouldn't know that I'm planning on making this a series....I've got tons of ideas.....

I'll post a summary for the sequel next chapter. 

REVIEWS!!! 

__


	16. Chapter Fifteen: A Night They Will Never...

*sighs* Ya'll know me. I do all the action first and THEN the romance is in the last chapter. So enjoy!!!!__

  


_Note: Yes, I have never had a boyfriend and have never kissed anyone, done anything with a guy, so I don't know how well this will be done. I tried my best. Hope it goes well. _

  


_Disclaimer: I do not YYH. I do own Bronwyn and the plot to this story and all the other characters who I am too lazy to mention. There. _

  


_******************************************************************************_

  


_A week later....._

  


Bronwyn pulled the peach-colored sundress over her head roughly, grumbling about Kurama's evilness. Ever since she confessed her newfound secret to him, he just couldn't leave her alone about it and it was wearing on her last nerve. 

  


_I have to get out of this house. _

  


She winced as she yanked the dress down her body, where it brushed against the white bandages wrapped around her chest tightly. Even though she was making a better recovery than expected, it still would be quite a while until she was completely healed. 

  


When the dress was finally fitted over her figure, she began to smooth out the many wrinkles. _Why can't Botan ever lend me anything GOOD to wear??? _

  


But as her hands ran over the material, something felt somewhat...similar about it. She glanced down at the dress curiously, and repeated the motion carefully. _That's odd...I've never worn this before, so why does it feel so familiar??? _

  


She moved over to the full-length mirror and glanced into it nonchalantly, and immediately backed away. She had suddenly remembered where the dress was from. 

  


When she had first looked into the mirror, she hadn't seen herself in the bedroom. She had seen herself in the forest, drenching wet, grasping someone's hand cautiously....her dream from a couple of weeks ago. 

  


She shook her head angrily. _A stupid coincidence....._

  


She yanked the door open and slowly pulled herself down the stairs. It was still slightly difficult to walk because of her wound. 

  


Finally reaching the bottom step, she immediately noticed Kurama reading a book in the living room intently. He seemed too absorbed to even notice Bronwyn's presence. She cleared her throat loudly, trying to get his attention. 

  


Kurama glanced up frustratingly, clearly enjoying his book and angry at being interrupted. His mood changed, though, when he saw that it was Bronwyn who was standing impatiently at the foot of the stairs. 

  


"So, you've finally decided to venture downstairs after a full week up there. Feeling alright?" He asked, smiling slightly, setting down his book on the side table. 

  


"Yep. I think I'm going to take a walk." She said quietly, walking towards the front door. 

  


"Are you sure that's wise? You are still weak." Kurama whispered nervously. 

  


Bronwyn turned her head to look at him as she twisted the doorknob. "I'm not a wimp. I can handle myself just fine." She headed out the door slowly, Kurama's concerned voice following her. "Okay, but be careful. It looks like it's going to start raining." He yelled. 

  


"I'll be fine!!" She called back angrily , glancing up at the sky for a second. Dark clouds were gathering together angrily, small rumbles of thunder sounding periodically, warning of the storm approaching. _It does look like it's going to start raining....oh well, A little rain never hurt anyone...._

  


Sure enough, after a few minutes of scurrying footsteps down the sidewalk, drops began to splatter the ground, at first light and refreshing but soon turning brutal and rough. 

  


_Okay, so maybe this wasn't the greatest idea...._She grumbled silently, raising her arms over her head protectively. It wasn't doing much good, though. Within minutes, she was throughly soaked to the bone, and the rain just kept coming down, each drop harder than the one before it. 

  


Glancing around for some kind of shelter, she noticed that the edge of the forest was just across the street. After a walk across the road, she was able to get a small bit of relief under the trees, even though it wasn't doing as much good as she had hoped it would. 

  


She began walking, trying to stay away from the path, instead walking under the trees providing cover. After a while, she finally settled down under a large oak tree, and listened to the rain pounding on the dirt ground. She sighed heavily. _Well, unless I want to drown, I'm stuck here. _

  


She glanced around hurriedly, since even though the tree was pretty dry, she was still wanting some better shelter. But her eye caught something else instead, a clearing about ten feet ahead. Now, normally this wouldn't be anything interesting to Bronwyn. But something seemed very....similiar about it. Like she was supposed to go over there.....

  


The urge being too strong to fight, she used to tree to pull herself up, and began to wade her way through the bushes over to the open spot in the forest. Walking out into the center, she glanced around expectantly, as if she was waiting for something to happen that explained why it was so familiar. 

  


_I guess it's nothing....I need to get back under the trees...._

  


A loud roar of thunder snapped Bronwyn out of her thoughts. She glanced up towards the dark sky just in time to see a bright flash of lightning. _It was so close...._

  


Closer than she thought. It had struck a large tree fifteen feet away from her. She didn't notice until the tree began to crack under the pressure of the strike from the lightning.

  


_Oh my god...._She thought in horror as the tree began to fall....on her. A loud screaming voice in her head was telling her to move, but it felt like her legs were paralyzed. She couldn't think. The only thing she could do was close her eyes, waiting for the crash. 

  


But...she suddenly felt herself being shoved aside roughly to the ground, and then there was a deafening thud as the tree hit the forest floor, seeming to be only a few feet away from her body. 

  


Silence. Bronwyn opened her eyes cautiously and could see that the tree had barely missed crushing her legs. Trying to sit up, she let out a loud cry of hurt. The bandages around her waist had become slightly undone at her fall. She also noticed that the dress she was wearing was now splattered with mud.. 

  


Rubbing the dirt out of her hands, she pulled herself up slowly, trying to wipe some of the mud off her dress, but immediately stopped when she noticed the person standing in front of her. 

  


_Hiei....._

  


He was watching her, not doing anything, just staring. She noticed that his clothes were covered in mud also. _He must of been the one who pushed me....._

  


Bronwyn hadn't seen him since the fight in the forest, and she was overcome with such a sense of relief that he was alive after thinking him dead for a couple of days, she felt slightly weaker in the legs. 

  


"It's not safe to stand out here." He said, but something sounded different about his voice. It was quieter, more...more....kind.

  


The sound of his voice, though, brought back something to Bronwyn. It sounded like...like...the one in her dream. _So it WAS him. But this is a lot different than my dream....._

  


Hiei opened his mouth as if he was about to say something else, but Bronwyn raised a finger to his mouth. "Don't say anything else." She said sternly. 

  


"And why not?" 

  


"Because...you know, you really scared me....I thought you were dead...buried...." 

  


"I know." He spoke simply. 

  


Bronwyn's expression turned into a confused one. "What?" 

  


"I looked at your dream." 

  


"Well, that was rude of you." She whispered, though a smile was on her face. But the fact that he looked at her dream, brought her to thoughts about the jagan eye, which then led to her own eye glowing a week ago, which caused her to remember....

  


Taking a deep breath, she lost the smile. "Did...did...you...hear what I said to Kurama a week ago?" She asked, praying for a 'no'. 

  


Hiei's expression turned serious. He nodded slightly. "I heard everything." 

  


_Damn...._She immediately turned away from him, trying to stop herself from turning red. "I need to go. You know, Kurama will worry about me if I don't get back soon..." She said, beginning to walk away. But Hiei grabbed her shoulder. "Wait." 

  


She turned her head, waiting to hear some kind of insult, putdown....

  


"I....I...feel..." Hiei had _definitely_ never felt this way before. He felt....nervous. A first for him. 

  


Bronwyn was growing more confused by the second. _What is it? What is he trying to say? He can't....possibly...._

  


She turned around completely, but made the mistake of looking at his eyes. _Oh, shoot, I'm getting that feeling again..._Remembering that before all of this happened, in the bedroom, on the floor....._But....I can't...._

  


But it was getting harder to fight. She watched as he kept trying to say something, but couldn't seem to get the words out. 

  


_I WON'T. _

  


Hiei's problem with talking and Bronwyn's inner battle went on for a couple more minutes, each not really knowing what they were supposed to be doing. 

  


"I can't take it anymore!!" Bronwyn finally broke the silence, looking very angry with herself. "I have to do something." 

  


Putting her hand on Hiei's shoulders, she kissed him. For quite a while. 

  


When she finally broke away, she took a deep breath and smiled. "I feel a heck of a lot better." She said quietly. 

  


Hiei smiled slightly also. He reached up and brushed a stray piece of hair away from her face. "You need to put your hair up. It gets in the way of your advance." 

  


She just stared at him with a look of faint surprise. "Do you....feel....the same way?" She asked, hoping for a good answer, her hands having never left his shoulders. 

  


He nodded slightly, and Bronwyn was overrun with a wave of happiness. _I guess it's okay, then....to do this...._

  


"Well, in that case..." Removing her hands, she shoved him back against a large oak tree, which caught him off-guard. 

  


Moving forward swiftly, she began to kiss him again, but now since she knew that he felt the same way, it was a little more powerful. But when he put his hand on her neck, his touch immediately reminded her of the way Aiku used to touch her neck. And that brought back all the horrible things that had happened after _that _relationship started....

  


_Do I really want to risk having to go through that again? _

  


She broke away immediately, a look of pure worry in her eyes. "I....don't...think...I...can...do...this." She gasped, trying to take a deep breath. 

  


"Why?" 

  


"Because something bad will happen. I know it will." She whispered, stepping back a foot. "How do I know that you won't use me just like Aiku did?" 

  


"Who's Aiku?" 

  


"My old boyfriend." 

  


"You don't know. You have to trust me." 

  


Silence. Bronwyn wasn't really sure what she was supposed to think about him for a minute, but something in his eyes...it was telling her that he would never do something like what Aiku did....

  


"I trust you." 

  


Hiei moved forward and they began to kiss again, with just one thought running through Bronwyn's mind....

  


_I'm giving myself to him....and it feels right._

  


_****_

  


_The next day....._

  


_Ring...._

  


_Ring..._

  


_Ring..._

  


"What?" Yusuke groggily snapped. It was eight in the morning on a summer day, and he usually liked sleeping in. 

  


"Yusuke, It's Kurama. I was just wondering if you had seen Bronwyn. She went for a walk yesterday and never came back." He asked quietly, a worried tone in his voice. 

  


"Can't say I have." He heavily yawned, rubbing his eyes. "But I'll help you look at A REASONABLE HOUR!!!!" 

  


"No need to scream, Yusuke. I'll call you a bit later when you're not so cranky." Kurama whispered in a slightly offensive tone. 

  


"Good." Yusuke slammed down the receiver angrily. 

  


***

  


"Bronwyn! BRONWYN!!!" Yusuke called as he, Kurama, and Kuwabara walked down the forest path. They had been all over town, the neighborhood, pretty much everywhere. The forest was the last place on their list to look, so here they were, calling her name, getting more worried by the second. 

  


"What do you think could of happened to her?" Kurama asked, glancing around the forest area.

"Who knows?" Kuwabara said, shrugging. "Hey, has anybody seen the shrimp? He could be helping us look, you know...." 

  


"Come to think of it, I haven't seen Hiei either." Kurama said curiously. 

  


There was silence for a minute as the trio continued walking down the beaten path. Yusuke glanced up toward the sky angrily. "I sent Botan to look for her almost an hour ago. Where the heck is she?" 

  


But no sooner than he had gotten the words out, he felt a tap on the shoulder. "No need to get angry, Yusuke, I'm right here." Botan was floating a few feet off the ground on her oar, smiling brightly. 

  


"Did you find her?" Kurama asked. 

  


Botan just stared at him for a second, and then began to giggle loudly. It took a few seconds for her to regain her composure. 

  


"What's so funny?" Kuwabara asked, looking confused at Botan's laughter. 

  


"Nothing. But I did find them." 

  


"Who's them?" 

  


"Bronwyn and Hiei." 

  


"You mean...they're together?" Yusuke asked, scratching his head. 

  


Her smile grew, and she let out another giggle before nodding. "Follow me." She whispered, and rose a few feet higher into the air, and flew down the path. She was out of sight in minutes. 

  


"Hey, wait for us!!" Kuwabara screamed after her, and the three began running after the blue-haired girl. 

  


***

  


"Aren't they adorable?" Botan chirped. 

  


Botan had led the group to a large tree, where they had all managed to climb up it, even though Kuwabara had some trouble, having lost his footing twice on the way up. 

  


Now, they were all staring at the two on the branch. 

  


Bronwyn was curled up, her head resting on Hiei's shoulder comfortably, her hand clutching onto his cloak to keep herself from falling over. Hiei's arm was wrapped around her waist to keep her on the branch, and his head was slightly resting against her's. They were both fast asleep. 

  


"You know, this just screams "couple"." Yusuke said, trying to keep himself upright on the branch across from their's. 

  


"Yes, I don't see how they could of gotten into this position any other way." Kurama said contentedly, happy at seeing them together. He had always thought that they would go good with each other. 

  


"Uh, shouldn't we wake them up?" Kuwabara said, reaching a hand out, "They're both covered in dirt." 

  


Kurama grabbed his hand before it could reach them, though. "I think it's best that we let them sleep." He said in a whisper, starting to climb down from the tree, followed by Yusuke. 

  


"Yeah, Kuwabara, they look pretty worn out." He motioned for Kuwabara to follow him down the tree, which he did, still wearing the same confused look. 

  


Botan joined them on the ground as they began to walk away.

  


"What did I tell you? I _knew _they were going to get together someway or another, didn't I? Didn't I?" She said eagerly, waiting for an answer. 

  


"Yes, Botan." The three boys answered in a dull voice, in the same fashion one would address a bragging child. 

  


"I knew it. They're perfect for one another...." 

  


******

  


_July 20_

  


_Kurama gave me this book....thingie a while back. He called it a diary. He said that's it's a good place to talk about your feelings, to express yourself, to write down things that you can't say outloud. That's the way he is, caring like that.....Well, anyway...._

  


_He said to start with a small profile, so here we go...._

  


_Name: Bronwyn_

_Last Name: .....I don't have one....._

_Age: Eighteen, I think. _

_Height: I don't really know....I'm pretty short...._

_Weight: I don't know this either....._

  


_Okay, that's done. Then he said that If I can't think of anything to write about, I should start with a day that's significant to me. Hmm....._

  


_July 12._

  


_That was the day when I found out that I was two different people, that I had two different sides of me....a very important day..._

  


_My first side, the one that's been in control all my life but these past three weeks has been overpowered, is the assassin. The cold one. The one who wants to not feel anything, be alone for the rest of her life. The one who is a heartless killer, can do anything without any conscience whatsoever. Miss Independent. _

  


_Then there's the other side, which is now in control and the one I hope that always will be, is the afraid, insecure, women who is just crying out for someone who cares. She wants people to want her, and used to use her other side to cover up that, because it made her feel weak. _

  


_Yep, that's me. _

  


_That was also the day that I began my new life. Without Zink. Without the demon world. Without the killing, the assignments, the blood.....none of that. It's gone, and I never want to see it again. _

  


_And one day, I promise that I will have my revenge on Zink. I will kill him. Make him pay_ _for what he did to me. What he made me go through. I came to him an afraid, worried girl and he warped me into a heartless killer. He wanted me to kill Hiei. He wanted to change me into something horrible, a monster. _

  


_And he almost succeeded. If I had made the choice to kill Hiei, I'd still be working for him, probably already on another assignment. _

  


_I feel bad just thinking about it. _

  


_But I didn't make that choice. And now here I am, probably happier than I've ever been in my ENTIRE life. _

  


_Kurama said that I could have his room permanently. He told me that he had become accustomed to sleeping on the couch anyway. I argued with him for a while about it, since I've slept on the floor all my life, pretty much, but he wouldn't hear it. So, here I am, laying on the bed, writing in this diary-thing, which is actually pretty cool. I should do it more often. _

  


_I explained everything to Hiei, since he was still a little bit in the dark about Zink and what had happened between him and I. He told me what Zink had told him, about him sending more assassins after him. Zink will do anything, absolutely anything, to become a legend. _

  


_Zink doesn't lie about things like that. They will be coming soon. And even though I know for a fact that Hiei could handle them fine if he knew who they were, they're hard to just pick out from a crowd. _

  


_Zink disguises all of his assassins as ordinary humans, the ones that are of demon race. They can blend in well with the other humans, and all have perfect ambushing skills. Since I trained with Zink for six years, I know how an assassin's movements are supposed to be like, what clothes they're supposed to wear, what most of them look like. That's why I'll be keeping an eye out for them. _

  


_And since Zink believes me to be dead, he won't know that I'm helping Hiei. It works out perfectly. _

  


_I've been so happy lately. It seems that I don't need to be worried about Hiei and our new relationship. He doesn't force me to do things (Like Aiku did), he doesn't try to seduce me (Like Aiku did), and he doesn't insult or hit me when I don't do what he wants (Like Aiku did). _

  


_I really do love him. _

  


_I definitely made the right choice that day in the forest....._

  
  


_*Bronwyn*_

  
  


_ *****************************************************************************_

  


CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT THIS IS FINALLY DONE?!?!?!?! I actually finished it!!! 

  


I know that I said I was going to put the song "Miss Independent" At the end of this story, but it didn't really seem to fit the mood of it anymore, so I decided against it. 

  


Now, I'm a lot more in tune with this story than I am with "Girl In Love" (If any of you read that) so the sequel to this will probably be coming out before the sequel to that. Just letting you know...

  


I've already got the first two chapters written, so this will probably be out in a week at the most. This story is just calling to me....

  


"Always" 

It's been three months. Zink's sending assassins, but so far, Hiei and Bronwyn have managed to take care of every one of them. But when someone from Bronwyn's past returns, it's going to turn her world upside down. And what's with these weird dreams she's been having of Hiei being brutally killed by someone who she cannot see? 

  


Tell me what you think about my finished story!!!!! __

  
  
  
  


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